COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — The 2025 CAVA Women’s Under-19 Volleyball Championship served up an action-packed opening day Tuesday at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium, as host Sri Lanka swept Maldives in straight sets before Kyrgyzstan edged Nepal in a five-set thriller.
The tournament, running through Nov. 9, features four national teams — Sri Lanka, Maldives, Kyrgyzstan and Nepal — competing in a round-robin format before the semifinals and finals.
A colorful opening ceremony set the tone for the weeklong event, highlighted by cultural performances, team presentations and remarks from officials celebrating regional unity and youth volleyball development.
In the day’s first match, Sri Lanka overpowered Maldives, 25–9, 25–9, 25–15, behind a strong performance from outside hitter L.K.M. Wijerathna, who scored 14 points on 11 spikes and a block.
Sulakshana Aberathna and Apsara Kahadawa added key contributions at the net as the hosts wrapped up the match in just over an hour before about 200 fans.
Maldives’ Ahmed Shiyam F. Amaanee and Ahmed Minhath each tallied six points in a losing effort.
The evening match brought the drama, with Kyrgyzstan rallying to defeat Nepal, 22–25, 25–14, 18–25, 25–22, 15–9, in a nearly two-hour contest. Raiana Baiamanova led Kyrgyzstan with 19 points, while Saikal Amirakulova added 16 in a balanced attack.
Nepal’s Mina Sunar was the match’s top scorer with 16 points, supported by Nisha Mahar and Rebika Lama Tamang, who had 13 and eight points, respectively.
Nepal won the first and third sets but couldn’t hold off Kyrgyzstan’s late surge in the decisive fifth.
Day 2 action continues Wednesday, with Kyrgyzstan facing Maldives at 2 p.m. followed by Sri Lanka taking on Nepal at 4:30 p.m. All matches are being played at the Sugathadasa Sports Complex and streamed live on the official CAVA YouTube channel.