Colombo, Sri Lanka, October 11, 2023 – Hosts Sri Lanka stayed atop the 6-team standing after completing Day 3 encounters of the single round-robin Central Asian Volleyball Association (CAVA) Men’s Volleyball Challenge Cup at Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium here on Wednesday.
The tournament is underway in the heart of Sri Lanka, showcasing intense matches and remarkable victories. Nepal, Bangladesh and Uzbekistan emerged triumphant in their respective games, captivating audiences with their exceptional skills on the court.
Fresh from comfortable 3-0 wins against Saudi Arabia and Nepal in their first two matches, world No.67 Sri Lanka on Wednesday succumbed to their first home defeat at the hands of Uzbekistan.
In a see-saw battle, witnessed by several key persons of Sri Lanka Volleyball Federation including SLVF President Mr Kanchana Jayarathna, the host side bounced back from the first set loss 20-25 to take the second set 25-16.
Uzbekistan counter-attacked well in the third set, with Kuchkorov Azizbek and Sobirov Islomjon on fire in attack and Kuchkorov producing solid blocks to claim the hard-fought set 25-23.
However, the visitors’ delight did not last long as hosts Sri Lanka fought back hard to win the fourth set 25-17 and force the tie-break. Still, Uzbekistan fared better in the decider to capture the set 15-11 and match.
Kuchkorov Azizbek delivered 21 points from 14 kills, 6 blocks and one ace for Uzbekistan, while Bandara Jayalath was phenomenal in this Sri Lanka’s tough match against the strong visitors, having a spectacular 41-point performance including 38 kills from 59 attempts.
Uzbekistan dominated the blocking game, getting 14 stuffs to Sri Lanka’s 9, but the host side did a very good job of leading their opponents in kills (56 to 50) and aces (4 to 2) and also benefited from more opponent errors (35 to 32).
In the second match, Nepal survived a scare from Afghanistan to beat the world No.68 in hard-fought five-set thriller 25-19, 19-25, 22-25, 25-20, 15-10.
Shrestha Man chipped in with 21 points including 20 kills from 44 attempts for Nepal, while Kohistani Naser led Afghanistan with 20 points from 15 attacks and 5 blocks.
The third encounter between Bangladesh and world No.65 Saudi Arabia saw both teams lock horns in a hotly-contested battle. Bangladesh got the match off to a flying start with 25-22 win in the first set. Saudi Arabia regained their composure and hit back bravely to take the second set 25-22, but dropped their rhythm to go down 22-25 in the third set. Saudi Arabia made amends in the fourth set, which they won 25-19.
In the thrilling tie-breaker, Bangladesh went on their attacks and Saudi Arabia on counter-attacks. Leveling 15-15, Bangladesh found their touch to score two points in a row to win the close set 17-15 and match.
At halfway through the competition, hosts Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Uzbekistan had similar performances of two wins against one loss, but the Sri Lankans had a better sets ratio to stay atop the standing with 7 points. Afghanistan and Uzbekistan came in second and third places respectively.
Nepal had 5 points from one win against two losses to come in fourth place, while Bangladesh got 2 points from two wins against one loss to trail in fifth position. Saudi Arabia are trailing on the bottom sixth place with one point from three straight losses.
Thursday is a rest day. The competition will resume on Friday, with Saudi Arabia going up against Nepal, Afghanistan taking on Sri Lanka and Bangladesh challenging Uzbekistan.
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