MALÉ, Maldives — Hosts Maldives and Kyrgyzstan booked their places in the final of the Women’s Central Asian Volleyball Association (CAVA) Cup 2025 on Wednesday after registering decisive victories in their respective semi-final matches at the Social Centre Indoor Hall.
Maldives continued their dominant run in the tournament with a straight-sets victory over Bangladesh, controlling the match from start to finish to win 25–17, 25–12, 25–12. The hosts set the tempo early and maintained pressure throughout, closing the contest in just 63 minutes of set play.
Aminath Shaha Shamin and Hawwa Rashidha led the Maldivian offense with 14 points each, while Aminath Areesha added 11 points. Bangladesh’s Most Sabina Khatun paced her side with 10 points, but the visitors were unable to penetrate the disciplined Maldivian defense.
Earlier in the day, Kyrgyzstan overcame a resilient Afghanistan side with a 3–1 victory to secure their place in the final. Kyrgyzstan took the opening two sets 25–17 and 25–14 before Afghanistan mounted a strong response in a tightly contested third set, edging out Kyrgyzstan 28–26. Kyrgyzstan regrouped in the fourth set, however, sealing the match with a 25–15 win.
Bolotbekova Nurzhamal and Amirakulova Saikal shared top-scoring honors for Kyrgyzstan with 13 points each, while Tulenova Gulmira contributed 11. Afghanistan’s Afghan Zahra Hanieh led her team with 12 points in a determined performance.
The Women’s CAVA Cup 2025 will conclude on Thursday, December 25, with Afghanistan facing Bangladesh in the bronze medal match at 16:20, followed by the gold medal match between Kyrgyzstan and Maldives at 20:40. The closing ceremony is scheduled to take place immediately after the final.
With home-court support behind them, Maldives will look to cap their campaign with a historic title, while Kyrgyzstan aim to assert their strength in what is expected to be a closely contested championship match.