Al-Araby settles for silverware at the GCC Volleyball Tournament – Volleyball news
The pre-favourites of the 31st GCC Men’s Volleyball Tournament, Al-Araby of Qatar, dropped the decision in the final showdown on Friday and finished the campaign as runner-up team of the tournament.
Team Qatar failed to overcome resilient rival Al-Mehraq of Bahrain and received 1-3 (24-26, 25-23, 22-25, 23-25) defeat.
The 31st edition of the GCC Men’s Volleyball Tournament took centre stage on Sunday, March 18 in Kuwait and reached the finals on Friday, March 23. The tournament featured some amazing volleyball action and created a whole of excitement among volleyball
enthusiasts. Teams from Qatar, United Arab Emirates, hosts Kuwait, and Bahrain were on board to vie for the GCC title trophy. Qatari club Al-Rayyan entered the competition as defending champion but could not qualify for the finals.
At the end of final day, Al-Mehraq of Bahrain held the top slot in ranking whereas Qatari Al-Araby and Kuwait’s Al-Qadisya finished second and third, respectively.
Al Araby gave out an up-to-mark performance in the opening round of the tournament and clawed its way to the semi-finals. In the semis, Qatari team was joined by Al Ain Volleyball team of U.A.E. The two big giants clashed in the crucial semi-final match,
where Al Araby proved to be better and bagged victory in four-set play. Al Ain seized only one frame in the match and dropped its chances to play in the final match.
On the other hand, Bahrain’s Al Mehraq and local team Al Qadisya came into stride in the second semi-final, which also spanned over four sets. The two teams fought for the final slot but only Al Mehraq could succeed in the attempt. The visiting team edged
out hosts with a display of better game and advanced to the finals. Both semi-final matches were hosted by Youssef Shaheen Ghanim Hall in Kazma Sports Club, Kuwait.
The winners of the two semis settled for the final match, while the losers crossed their ways in the classification match for third position.
In the final match, Bahrain’s Al-Mehraq enjoyed a great form and came strong on the competitors. The Qatari team, Al Araby, gave a good competition to Al Mehraq but lost first frame with narrow margin of two points, 24-26. After dropping the opening set,
Al Arabi hit back aggressively and levelled the game score by winning second set of the match (25-23). Nonetheless, Al Mehraq bounced back in third set and extended its lead to 2-1 by capturing third set. They carried the momentum in the fourth set and closed
the match after claiming fourth set with two points.
The final match between the two top teams of the tournament was full of action and moved the spectators back ‘n’ forth in their seats. There was no telling about the possible outcome of the match as the score shifted up with incredibly close margin. However,
Al Mehraq got lucky and seized the trophy.
The classification match for third position brought Kuwait’s Al-Qadisya and UAE’s Al-Ain on the centre court. The hosts completely white-washed the guest team from UAE and secured bronze medal by sending 3-0 (25-22, 27-25, 26-24) on board.
Kazma of Kuwait defeated Al-Rayyan on the final day of tournament and claimed fifth position.
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