Manila, Philippines, May 24, 2024 – Iran took their first win in Pool A of the 2024 AVC Challenge Cup for Women after taking 3-1 (24-26, 25-20, 25-18, 28-26) in Friday’s opening match at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
Hitter Aytak Salamat captained the Iran side, leading with 23 points. Meanwhile, Chinese Taipei’s Hsu Fang-Min scored 21 points in the defeat.
Chinese Taipei served strategically which caused difficulty for the opponents’ passing unit. This was a good start and chance for them to get ahead against a much taller roster who could possess many options on attack and block defense. They also tried to orchestrate their offense more quickly, in order to outrun the blockers and even the backcourt.
The Chinese Taipei side settled into their rhythm, even in their defense. They posted well by the net, anticipating the opponents’ attack with small, helpful touches that could buy time and space for the backcourt.
Iran needed to adjust accordingly, launching their serves more fiercely, and establishing their own tempo. They worked doubly hard in reception to engineer a more composed offense, that they could play along their opponents’ pace and merits. Salamat and Poorsaleh took on the scoring reins, loading the flanks on attack.
For the Iran side, it was a matter of finding solutions and making timely decisions in transition plays, which they handled well. They played along lengthy rallies against a more agile team.
Chinese Taipei forced a scoring run to extend the fourth set. Iran reverted to their system and finished the match with their first victory in the competition.
Coach Padideh Boloorizadeh expressed how pleased she was with Iran’s victory against a tough opponent.
“In the first set, we had an opportunity to play a different line-up which was part of the plan. The team executed exactly what we asked them to do. Even with a young team (averaging 20 years old), we are preparing them to be as equipped and at pace with how the rest of Asia are playing,” she said.
Both teams are set to face the host team in their next matches: Iran versus Philippines, set on Saturday at 19:00 Manila time; Chinese Taipei versus Philippines on Sunday at 19:00 local.
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