Kyoto, Japan, May 15, 2025 – Japan’s Suntory Sunbirds Osaka and Qatar’s Al-Rayyan Sports Club advanced to the semifinals of the inaugural AVC Men’s Champions League, following exceptional performances in Thursday’s quarterfinals at the Shimadzu Arena. The two volleyball powerhouses will now face off in a highly anticipated do-or-die semifinal showdown on Saturday.
SV.League champions Suntory Sunbirds booked their place in the final four after overcoming a resilient Muharraq Club of Bahrain in straight sets, 27-25, 25-20, 25-9, while Al-Rayyan had to battle through a challenging four-set encounter to defeat Kazakhstan’s Aqtobe VC, prevailing 25-20, 25-18, 23-25, 25-20.
With one of the two tickets to the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s Club World Championship on the line, as well as a chance to compete in the final of Asia’s most prestigious club competition, Saturday’s clash between Suntory and Al-Rayyan promises to be a thrilling contest. The winner will not only secure a spot in the championship match, but also become the first club to qualify for the global stage.
Al-Rayyan’s victory was spearheaded by standout performances from Noumory Keita and Abdel-Aziz Nimir, who tallied 25 and 23 points respectively. Supported by Slovenia’s Tine Urnaut, the trio led the Qatari side to a hard-fought win over Aqtobe, the 2025 Kazakhstan Cup champions.
Keita, who previously scored 22 points against Vietnam’s Sport Training Center3 in the pool stage, delivered another dominant performance with 20 kills and five aces. Nimir added 23 points, while Urnaut chipped in 11. Nikita Shvalev led Aqtobe with 15 points, including 12 attacks.
Meanwhile, Suntory Sunbirds extended their unbeaten run with a composed and clinical victory over Muharraq. Despite a tight opening set, the Japanese side maintained control throughout the match, gradually asserting their dominance.
Russian giant Dmitriy Muserskiy led the charge with 17 points (13 kills), while Ran Takahashi continued his strong form with 15 points (13 kills). Swedish international Jacob Link was the top scorer for Muharraq with 13 points.
Reflecting on the performance, Ran Takahashi said: “It was a tough game, especially in the first two sets. We focused on breaking their momentum in the second set and played much better in the third. Our next match against Al-Rayyan will be another challenge, but if we play with the same confidence, I believe we can win.”
The semifinal lineup will be completed on Friday, with two more quarterfinals scheduled. Shanghai Bright Men’s Volleyball Club of China will face Foolad Sirjan Iranian at 15:05 local time, followed by another clash between Thailand’s Nakhon Ratchasima QminC VC and Osaka Bluteon at 19:05. The winners of these matchups will meet in the other semifinal encounter on Saturday.
Click the link below for match schedule, results and photos
https://asianvolleyball.net/new/2025-avc-mens-champions-league/
QUICK LINKS
AVC Website: click www.asianvolleyball.net
AVC Facebook: click www.Facebook.com/AsianVolleyballConfederation
AVC Twitter: click: www.twitter.com/AsianVolleyball
AVC Instagram: click: https://www.instagram.com/avcvolley/?hl=en
Mikasa Instagram: click: https://www.instagram.com/mikasasports_official
AVC Youtube: click: Asian Volleyball Confederation
AVC WeChat: Asian Volleyball Confederation
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.