On the final day of the competition, Iran succumbed to their first defeat at the hands of Turkmenistan, but still had a happy end to underline their supremacy over the 2023 Central Asian Volleyball Association (CAVA) Men’s Volleyball Nation’s League at the Sports and Recreation Complex Gazprom in Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyzstan on Sunday.
Iran led the pack with five straight wins and looked set to capture the title despite the fact that they still had one more match remaining on Sunday when they had to take on Turkmenistan, the team which claimed only one win against Nepal.
However, things turned sour for the Iranians on the last day of the single round-robin tournament and luck seemed destined to play a uniquely large role in this match. Though going down in the first two sets to Iran 13-25, 23-25, the spirited Turkmenistan put up a brave fight against the continental powerhouses, producing a terrific comeback while launching waves of powerful attacks from Rahimov Dovranbek and solid blocks from Durdylyyev Mekan and Rasulov Yrsgal to grab three sets on the trot 28-26, 25-22, 15-12 for the tie-break win.
Hard-hitting Rahimov Dovranbek scored a match-high 23 points including 21 attacks for Turkmenistan, while Barzkar Mahan led Iran with 20 points from 17 attacks and 3 blocks.
Earlier, Uzbekistan had a tough match when Nepal turned the heat on them. However, led by Sabirov Islomjon’s powerful attacks and effective blocks from Kuchkorov Azizbek and Khosinov Bunyodbek, Uzbekistan escaped unscathed in this encounter to beat the fighting opponents in a close battle 25-21, 25-22, 25-23.
Kuchkorov Azizbek chipped in with 17 points including 6 attacks and 6 blocks for Uzbekistan, while Sabirov Islomjon and Khosinov Bunyodbek added 11 and 10 points. Shrestha Man Bahadur scored 13 points on the Nepal’s loss.
The more thrilling encounter between Kyrgyzstan and Kyrgyzstan2 saw both sides satisfy home fans with their fine form. However, the former, with their victory in the last year’s 3rd AVC Men’s Challenge Cup to their name, fared better to capture a dramatic 3-1 (25-10, 19-25, 25-13, 26-24) victory.
Zheenbek Uulu Zhantemir topscored with 19 points for the winning team, while Kanybek Uulu Koshoi and Abdimomun Uulu Iliaz scored 10 points apiece for Kyrgyzstan2.
At the completion of the single round-robin competition, Iran reigned supreme with 16 points from 5 wins against one loss to Turkmenistan, while Kyrgyzstan had the similar performance with 5 wins against one loss, but the host team, with just one point behind, picked up silver. Mongolia claimed bronze medal after collecting 11 points from 4 wins against one loss.
Uzbekistan finished fourth place with 9 points from 3 wins against 3 losses, followed by Turkmenistan (2-4) and Kyrgyzstan2 (2-4) with 6 points and 5 points respectively. Nepal did not win a single match to finish on the bottom 7th position.
MATCH RESULTS
INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
FINAL RANKING
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