MALDIVES, KYRGYZSTAN WIN TWO IN SUCCESSION IN CAVA WOMEN’S CHALLENGE CUP

Male, Maldives, September 7, 2024 – The second day of the 2024 CAVA Women’s Volleyball Challenge Cup witnessed thrilling action, as hosts Maldives and Kyrgyzstan continued their unbeaten streaks, dominating their respective matches at Social Center Indoor Hall.

In the first match of the day, Kyrgyzstan, fresh from sweep Tajikistan in straight sets in their previous match, showcased their strength by defeating Afghanistan in comfortable straight sets 25-14, 25-12, 25-14).

Aitbekova Aiturgan was the Kyrgyzstan’s most productive player as she tallied 14 points from 11 kills, one block and two aces. Mohammad Roghayeh led Afghanistan with 8 points from 7 kills and one ace.

Kyrgyzstan’s well-rounded performance secured their second consecutive victory, keeping them firmly at the top of the standings.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan struggled once again, facing their second loss in the tournament without winning a set, placing them at the bottom of the table with the lowest set ratio, just behind Tajikistan.

The excitement continued in the second match when the host nation, Maldives, played in front of a passionate home crowd of 1,000 fans. The Maldives team earned a well-fought 3-1 victory over Tajikistan 25-18, 25-12, 22-25, 25-16, much to the delight of their supporters. This win left Maldives in second place, tied with Kyrgyzstan on points but with a slightly lower set ratio.

Rashidha delivered 18 points from 14 kills, team-leading 3 blocks and one ace for hosts Maldives, while Zamira Badalbekova chipped in 18 points from 14 kills, one block and 3 aces for Tajikistan.

As Tajikistan dominated the blocking game, getting 5 stuffs to Maldives’ 4, the host side fared much better in kills (44 to 28), got a very good job in aces (12 to 8) and also benefitted more opponent error (36 to 30).

As the tournament enters the final day of the pool preliminaries, Sunday’s matches will be decisive. The two winless teams, Afghanistan and Tajikistan, will face off at 4:15pm local time, while the top two contenders, Maldives and Kyrgyzstan, will battle for the top spot at 8:30pm.

The stakes are high as both teams aim to enter the knockout stages with momentum and a clear path toward the title.

MATCH RESULTS AND POOL RANKING