[1]Indian men’s volleyball team defeated Bahrain, 3-1 to enter the quarterfinals of the 17 th Asian Senior Men’s Volleyball Championship group-level match held in Dubai.
Earlier, India had upset the higher ranked Australian team, 25-23, 26-24, 23-25, 23-25, 15-12 in the second match in the group. In a neck-to-neck match, it was the Indian team whosnatched the early advantage after winning the first two games, 25-23 and 26-24.
However, Australia with their superior attacking prowess clinched the third and fourth game in style to extend the match to a decider.
In the final game, India and Australia fought closely, but it was India who held their nerves to see off the Austrailians. With a 15-12 win, India found their first win in the trophy. India is ranked 30 while Australia is ranked 14 in FIVB rankings.
“It was a good performance by the Indian team. The victory against Australia was a morale booster for us. All the players contributed well and our blocking and attacking helped us to win some points at crucial moments,” said Rohith, a centre blocker with the Indian team. “The win against Australia was the turning point for us.
It was something special and has helped us to regain confidence after we lost against Qatar. I hope the form will be retained throughout the tournament,” said Rohith. India had lost its first game against Qatar 3-1 in the tourney. Last year India had reached quarterfinal but finished in the sixth place of the tourney.
Links:
[1] http://archive.asianage.com/beach-volleyball-net40000000000jpg-657