Gresik, East Java, Indonesia, June 24, 2023 – Iran captured a straight-set win, 3-0 (25-20, 25-13, 25-16) against Philippines on Sunday afternoon as the 2023 AVC Challenge Cup for Women continued at the Tri Dharma Petrokimia Gresik Gymnasium.
The 5th-8th semi-final encounter saw Iran overpowering their opponents, by bringing in their power trio. Mahsa Kadkhoda, Ashofteh Mona, Amini Fatemeh comprised Iran’s in-system performance, all scoring double-digits on attack, but also installing such formidable presence on block.
Philippines fielded in their usually reliable scores such as Faith Nisperos and Shaya Adorador, but they could not seem to establish a good grip on the match. They mostly lagged in their serve-reception, forcing recycled plays, that consequently, the opponents had better control of.
Iran head coach Rashidi Kiklahijani Fatemeh commented “I am very happy. Our team played really well today.”
“We have specific goals here in this championship and we have to prepare for the coming events like the AVC Senior Women Championship and the Asian Games so this is an important step for us,” she said.
“We do not really have enough experience, but this competition is really helping us a lot. We hope to be able to continue to compete in this competition once again in the future,” she added.
Iran will play against Australia for the 5th-6th final at 14:00 local time, while Philippines will face Uzbekistan for the 7th-8th final at 11:30 local time.
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