Kazakhstan 1 grabs success in opening match of President’s Cup – Volleyball Asia
The 18th Nursultan Nazarbayev President’s Cup International Men’s Volleyball Tournament officially started off on Monday, August 22. The Boluan Sholak Sport and Culture Palace in Almaty, Kazakhstan, welcomed eight teams from China, Belarus, Iran, Tunisia,
India, and Russia. Kazakhstan is playing with two teams in the competition and both local teams have been placed in the same pool and crossed paths on the opening day of the tournament. Kazakhstan 1 demonstrated a wonderful show of volleyball and dominated
over the Kazak 2 team. They posted 3-0 (25-17, 25-18, and 25-22) and edged out Kazak 2.
The roster of Kazakhstan 1 featured experienced players. The opened the match with accurate serves by Sergey Kuznetsov, who threw the ball high up in air and then pushed it with full power of her forearms. Narima Suleimenov started the hard-hitting and helped
his team to build an early lead of four points 8-4 at the first technical timeout. On the other side of the net, Maxim Mishchenko of Kazak 2 jumped into action. He delivered fast spikes and tried to catch up with the opponents. Meanwhile, the middle blocker
Ivan supported Kazak2 with his solid attacks and saved some crucial points. However, Kazak 1 continued with their efforts and didn’t allow Kazak 2 to come up. They led the score with similar 4-point margin at the second technical break 16-12. The libero of
Kazak 1, Alpamys Khilimov was quite active on the court. He was also a part of the combined effort of his team. Kazak 1 maintained the high momentum and secured first set by posting 25-17.
The loss of opening set pushed Kazakhstan in an under-pressure situation. On contrary, Kazak enjoyed top form and opened the second set with great confidence. They added quick points and picked up a strong lead of 8-2. The Head Coach of Kazakhstan 2, Sergey
Shchukin tried different combinations but none of them could work out for their benefit. Kazak 1 was still ahead in the game at the second technical timeout 16-10. Sergey Kostive of Kazak 2 efficiently hit the ball in corners and raised his team’s score. The
effort of Kazak 2 was commendable but it did not change the scenario. Resilient rival Kazakhstan 1 proved to be tough nut to crack and also took away the second set 25-18.
After dropping two set in a row, Kazak 2 followed a new strategy in third set. They strengthened the defence line and also remained focused on the attack side. The spirited effort of Kazak 2 paid off and they picked up 8-7 lead. Anyhow, Kazak 1 bounced back
in the game and regained the control of game at the second technical timeout. Finally, they announced match victory after winning the third set at 25-22.
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