MALÉ, Maldives — Host nation Maldives secured the top seed for the semi-finals of the Women’s CAVA Cup 2025 on Monday night after rallying to a 3–1 victory over Kyrgyzstan in the final match of the round-robin stage at the Social Centre Indoor Hall.
The win capped an unbeaten run for the Maldives, who finished the group phase with three victories and nine points. Earlier in the day, Afghanistan recorded a historic first win of the tournament, defeating Bangladesh in four sets to claim third place in the standings.
Maldives Rally Past Kyrgyzstan
In a match that effectively decided first place, Maldives overcame an early setback against a physically imposing Kyrgyzstan side. Kyrgyzstan claimed the opening set 25–15, but the hosts responded in front of a crowd of approximately 1,500 spectators, leveling the match with a narrow 25–23 second-set win.
Maldives carried the momentum into the third and fourth sets, closing out the match 25–19, 25–22 to seal the 3–1 victory. Kyrgyzstan’s Nurzhamal Bolotbekova led all scorers with 20 points, but Maldives relied on a balanced attack, with Hawwa Rashidha and Aminath Shaha Shamin contributing 14 points each.
Afghanistan Earn First Tournament Win
Earlier, Afghanistan earned their first victory of the competition with a 3–1 win over Bangladesh (25–20, 25–21, 21–25, 25–16). Roghayeh Mohammadi led Afghanistan with 15 points, helping her team secure third place in the final standings.
Bangladesh’s Sabina Khatun produced a standout individual performance, finishing with a match-high 21 points, but her efforts were not enough to prevent Bangladesh from ending the round-robin stage winless.
Final Standings and Semi-Final Pairings
Following the completion of the round-robin stage, Maldives topped the standings with three wins and nine points, followed by Kyrgyzstan with two wins and six points. Afghanistan finished third with one win and three points, while Bangladesh ended the group stage without a victory.
The tournament Control Committee confirmed revised semi-final schedules for Wednesday, December 24, following requests from local broadcasting partners, with Kyrgyzstan set to face Afghanistan at 16:20 hrs and Maldives meeting Bangladesh at 20:40 hrs. After a rest day on Tuesday, the four teams will return to action with places in the Grand Final at stake, scheduled for December 25.