International Volleyball

UZBEKISTAN AND NEPAL SET FOR GOLD MEDAL SHOWDOWN AT CAVA MEN’S U20 CHAMPIONSHIP

UZBEKISTAN AND NEPAL SET FOR GOLD MEDAL SHOWDOWN AT CAVA MEN’S U20 CHAMPIONSHIP

Colombo, Sri Lanka, October 11, 2024 – After six days of action-packed competition in Colombo, the finalists for the Central Asian Volleyball Association (CAVA) Men’s U20 Volleyball Championship have been confirmed, with Uzbekistan fighting it out with Nepal in the Saturday’s highly-anticipated showdown at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium.

Uzbekistan’s Dominance Continues

Uzbekistan maintained their unbeaten streak on Friday, securing a hard-fought 3-1 (25-17, 25-18, 21-25, 25-23) victory against hosts Sri Lanka. 

Ogabek Haydarov steered Uzbekistan to the dramatic victory, delivering a match-high 21 points from 16 attacks, one block and 4 aces, while Shokhboz Mamayusufov and Saidjamol Murobidinov contributed 18 and 12 points respectively.

Thenuka W.A.A. led Sri Lanka with 15 points including 14 attacks from 41 attempts.

With unchallenged 14 points from five wins in a row, Uzbekistan confidently booked their berth in the gold medal match. Their consistency and skill throughout the tournament have made them the team to beat. Sri Lanka slipped to the fifth position at the standing, claiming only 4 points from one win against four losses.

Nepal’s Impressive Triumph Over Turkmenistan

Nepal rose to the occasion, defeating Turkmenistan in comfortable straight sets 25-14, 25-21, 25-20, securing their spot in the final clash. 

Pahal Gahatraj chipped in 16 points including 15 attacks from 27 attempts for Nepal, while Sagar Rasouli and Shailendra Yadav kept good company to add 14 and 12 points respectively. No Turkmenistan player reached double digits in scoring against the opponents, with Yazmyrat Merdanov scoring 9 points from 7 attacks, one block and one ace on the Turkmenistan’s loss.

With the Friday’s win, Nepal matched Turkmenistan’s record of three wins against two losses but the former surpassed the latter on better set ratio, propelling them to the gold medal clash against Uzbekistan. Nepal’s performance has been a revelation, and they are poised for a thrilling final. Turkmenistan finished third place at completion of the single round-robin preliminaries on Friday.

Kyrgyzstan Downs Maldives In Straight Sets

Kyrgyzstan managed a 3-0 (25-15, 25-21, 25-19) shutout of Maldives, with Kapar Planov leading the winners with 9 points and Iyan Ali scoring 11 points from 7 attacks, one block and 3 aces for Maldives. 

Kyrgyzstan finished fourth with 7 points from three wins against two losses, while Maldives did not win a single set in the…

Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Asian Volleyball Confederation…