SRI LANKA AND MALDIVES STRONGLY OUTSIDE THEIR RIVELS AND TAKE 5TH AND 7TH PLACE IN THE CAVA WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL CHALLENGE CUP

Sri Lanka defeated Kyrgyzstan to finish 5th and the Maldives stunned Bangladesh by finishing 7th in the Central Asian Volleyball Association (CAVA) Women’s Volleyball Challenge Cup at the NSC Covered Hall in Kathmandu, Nepal on Saturday.

Sri Lanka, already enjoying two victories in similar sets against the Maldives and Bangladesh, maintained an impressive form in Saturday’s 5-6 play-off against Kyrgyzstan. The Kyrgyz side also had a good run in placement matches among lower-ranked teams, defeating both Bangladesh and Maldives in comfortable straight sets.

Sri Lanka took complete control in the first set against Kyrgyzstan and won effortlessly 25-11. Losing one set, Kyrgyzstan picked up the pace to make up for the loss in the first set. Despite this, the Sri Lankans played well at their level, holding off their rivals with good tackles and solid blocks to end the second set 25-20.

The third set continued to be dominated by the Sri Lankans who led from start to finish in a 25-14 one-sided set, a match and a well-deserved 5th place. Kyrgyzstan finished 6th in the tournament.

Pasa scored 15 points for Sri Lanka while Thilini added 13 points. No player scored double figures for Kyrgyzstan, with Mamatzhan Kvzy and Kadyrova scoring 6 and 5 respectively.

Previously, the Maldives saved the best for last, recording their first victory in the last match of the tournament.

Fighting for places 7-8 in the play-offs, the Maldives lost the first set 21-25 to Bangladesh, but regained their composure and came back much stronger in the next three sets, winning 25-14, 25-23, 25-15 for the final victory 3 -1st and 7th place. Bangladesh came back from the bottom 8th position.

Hawwa, who turned out to be Maldives’ top scorer in all previous matches, remained the team leader in this match with 25 points. Shaha added a crucial 17 points to the team’s victory. Sabina added 24 points in Bangladesh’s losing match.

On Sunday, the last day of the tournament, India and Kazakhstan will host the final clash between the two undefeated teams, while hosts Nepal will face Uzbekistan in the third place play-off for the bronze medal.

In the meantime, Mr. Hitesh Malhotra of the FIVB Technical and Development Department represented the global organization that observed the CAVA Women’s Volleyball Challenge Cup in Kathmandu. Hosts Nepal also provided a Gerflor court donated by the FIVB for this tournament.

There was also a meeting between Mr. Hitesh and the working committee of the Nepal Volleyball Association to familiarize himself with the governance and structure of the NVA. The meeting was also attended by key people, including the Secretary General of Uzbekistan and the Treasurer of the Sri Lanka Volleyball Federation.

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