AUSTRALIA OUTPLAY INDIA IN 3-1 BATTLE AT AVC CHALLENGE CUP

 

Australia collected their second victory in Pool A of the 2024 AVC Challenge Cup for Women after a tough 3-1 match (26-24, 25-16, 19-25, 29-27) against India. 

Caitlin Tipping topped the scoreboard, amassing 27 explosive points to power the Volleyroos to victory on Saturday evening in front of a packed Rizal Memorial Coliseum.

Captain and setter Mikaela Stevens said “That was a pretty difficult match for us.  We don’t get a lot of tough competition back home. And we lost to them (India) twice last year so we were really coming out this time to fight back. I’m just really glad we were to execute what we wanted to do.”

Australia composed their offense as planned around Tipping. As with previous matches, she played a solid all-around game. She was consistent from the wings, she helped in block defense, and she was supporting the backcourt on receive. The opponents needed to stop her, if not limit her output in order to strengthen the stake in the Preliminary Round.  

To spark Australia’s game further, Ella Schabort brought in her share of the score from the right side, while block monster Cassandra Dodd also imposed such strong presence upon the net. She thwarted the opponents’ attacks and converted with a number of block points. 

India needed to gain control of the match by finding their usual rhythm. They have played steadily, so far in the competition, effecting good decision-making in transition. 

India looked to bring their level even higher, especially as their opponents were performing well from the service area. They were able to perform better by tightening their floor coverage and setting Anusree Kambrath Poyilil and Anagha Radhakrishnan from the flank. Setter Jini Kovat Shaji also activated Soorya’s middle attack in several sequences. 

Coach Jai Narain’s squad strove hard to extend the match, given the ups and downs of the game, but later succumbed to an attack error that cost them the fourth set and the rest of the match. 

Australia completed their 3-1 win by dominating on all scoring fronts, charting 58 attacks, 16 blocks and 11 service winners. 

Amidst the many plot twists and turns, captain and setter Mikaela Stevens commended the team in responding well. 

“We have a really young team, with not a lot of experience. There is still a learning curve, to address how we can execute our best skills in crucial moments. We stayed within our game plan and we played to our strengths. It can be a really hard battle, but we got there eventually,” she said. 

Australia will face Iran on Sunday, 16:00 local time. Meanwhile, India have wrapped up all their matches in the Preliminary Round and now await the full results for their rank in Pool B. 

AVC Challenge Cup 2024: Indian women ease past Chinese Taipei ; Soorya leads India to their second win in AVC Challenge Cup

The Indian women's volleyball team continued their good run at the Asian Volleyball Challenge Cup with a dominating straight-set victory over the higher-ranked Chinese Taipei in Manila, Philippines on Wednesday. This was India's second straight victory in pool A and as a result, they jumped up to the top of the pool with a thumping 25-19, 25-13, 25-16 victory at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum in the Philippines. 

India earned its second win in Pool A, dominating Chinese Taipei, 25-19, 25-13, 25-16, ahead of its duel against the home team, Alas Pilipinas, in the AVC Challenge Cup on Thursday at Rizal Memorial Coliseum.

Soorya Soorya imposed her will at the frontline, tallying eight of the team’s 14 blocks to finish with a game-high 15 points to stay unbeaten in Pool B  following their opening day win over Iran.

Soorya Soorya added more meaning to the position of middle blocker as India streaked to a 25-19, 25-13, 25-16 over Chinese-Taipei on Thursday, May 23, to remain unscathed in two matches in the AsianVolleyball Confederation (AVC) Challenge Cup for Women at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.

A defensive masterclass Soorya won the 'player of the match' award as she scored a match-high 15 points, delivering 8 monster blocks and 7 attacks. Anushree Kambrath Poyilil also contributed to the team with another double-digit performance, 13 points. "In the last game, I was a little tense as it was my first game after so long. But in this match, I concentrated a bit more in my game hence performed well. Also, my teammates and coaches are very supportive and they celebrate every point we scored." said Soorya in the post-match interview.

This match was more of a defensive masterclass as both the blockers Soorya and Angha made a strong wall in front of Taipei's Spikers and did not let any attack breach their defence. The team led by veteran setter Jini Kovat Shaji had a solid start of the match as they showed their aggressive play from both the flanks to attack the inexperienced Taipei defence. India also used their height advantage very well to stop Taipei in their tracks while making an aggressive move.

Indian Women Volleyball Team Starts Its Campaign On A Winning Note By Defeating Iran In The Asian Women’s Volleyball Challenge Cup 2024 At Manila, Philippines

 

The 2024 Asian Women’s Volleyball Challenge Cup is the fifth edition of the Asian Women’s Volleyball Challenge Cup, an annual international volleyball tournament organised by the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) with the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF). The tournament is currently held at Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila, Philippines from 22nd – 29th May 2024. In the opening day of the Pool A matches, today India beat Iran by 3:0 sets (25-17, 25-23 & 25-21) to start its campaign on a winning note. The Indian team will be playing against Chinese Taipei on 23rd May, the Philippines on 24th May 2024 & Australia on 25th May 2024.

India proved that they could run a good game at the middle, but mostly, they showed how craftily and creatively they could convert in transition plays. Their backcourt played steadily enough to sustain, and win long rallies. When they needed to set the flanks, they varied their attacks in both angle and speed and connected successfully. 

India encountered a strong third-set resistance from Iran before wrapping up a 25-17, 25-23, 25-21 win in Pool A that took an hour and 24 minutes, while Kazakhstan had a practically easier time against Singapore, 25-15, 25-9, 25-17, behind Kristina Belova’s 15 points in Pool B action.  

“I feel very proud and happy,” India’s team captain Kovat Shaji Jini said. “The Iran team’s very good but we focused on our service and digging and we got good results.”

 The Preliminary Round began on Wednesday with Pool A (the Philippines, Chinese Taipei, India, Iran, and Australia) and Pool B (Vietnam, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Singapore, and Hong Kong) competing in respective groups, before heading into a rest and recovery day on Monday, May 27.

The two top teams of each pool will make up the Final Four in the semi-finals on May 28, while the remaining teams will look for their best possible finish with the 5th-8th semi-finals. The least-ranked teams of each pool will face off in the classification match for the 9th-10th places.

The finals are slated for May 29, when the eventual champion earns the right to return to Manila, as it confirms its slot for the Volleyball World Challenger Cup, scheduled for July 4-7, 2024.

Iran claim title at AVC Beach Tour Nuvali Open

  

Iran won the title of the “Smart” AVC Beach Tour Nuvali Open in the Philippines’ City of Santa Rosa on Sunday.

11th seeds Abbas Pourasgari/Alireza Aghajanighasab defeated Thai third seeds Surin Jongklang/Dunwinit Kaewsai, 21-13, 21-17 in the final.

The tournament was organized by the Philippine National Volleyball Federation led by Ramon “Tats” Suzara.

Iran’s Abbas Pourasgari/Alireza Aghajanighasab added another 320 AVC points to their AVC Beach Volleyball Ranking record after claiming gold with remarkable unbeaten streak at the “Smart” AVC Beach Tour Nuvali Open, pulling off a stunning upset win against Thailand’s top seeds Pithak Tipjan/Poravid Taovato in the men’s final showdown at the world-class Nuvali Sand Courts by Ayala Land in City of Santa Rosa, Philippines on Sunday.

For Pourasgari/Aghajanighasab, the exceptional victory at the Nuvali Open was their first-ever gold in the AVC Beach Tour. However, the Iranian duo had already made their mark in international beach volleyball competitions, helping their National Federation win the AVC Continental Cup – Central Zone last September. They also claimed bronze at last August’s BPT Futures Wenzhou Cangan in China and fourth place at last year’s Hangzhou Asian Games, making them the first Iranian pair ever to advance to the Asian Games semifinals.

Seeded 11th with 300 AVC points in hand, Pourasgari/Aghajanighasab kicked off their campaign on high note, mercilessly crushing Macao China’s Cheong Houwang/Ng Loilong 2-0 (21-5, 21-7) to later see off Japan’s sixth seeds Yusuke Ishijima Gottsu/Kensuke Shoji 2-0 (21-13, 22-20) for the top spot in Pool F. In the round of 16, the promising Iranians demolished Hong Kong China’s Wong Puilam/Lau Cheukyin 2-0 (21-18, 21-15) and continued their brilliance in the highly-anticipated quarterfinals. There, Pourasgari/Aghajanighasab stunned Australian second seeds Paul Burnett/Jack Pearse 2-0 (21-16, 21-17).

An upset win against the Aussies, who netted their first BPT gold in a Geelong Futures last November and two additional silvers at the BPT Futures Coolangatta and Mollymook this March, made the Iranians a dark horse to achieve success through their pursuit of fulfilment. 

Nuvali Open 2024 beach volleyball: Australia’s Stefanie Fejes and Jana Milutinovic win women’s gold medal

 

Australian Beach Volleyball players won three medals - one gold, one silver and one bronze - at the AVC Beach Tour Nuvali Open 2024 held in Laguna, the Philippines.

Playing at the Nuvali Sand Courts in the City of Santa Rosa, Australia’s Stefanie Fejes and Jana Milutinovic were crowned women’s champions after defeating compatriots Jasmine Fleming and Georgia Johnson, 21-19, 25-23 in the final on Sunday.

Fejes and Milutinovic, ranked 51st in the women’s world beach volleyball rankings, took 52 minutes to overcome their fellow countrywomen and training partners, who are currently world No. 47.

The final proved to be a hard-fought affair. Fejes and Milutinovic endured a difficult start before regaining their composure and took the closely contested first set 21-19.

The second set also went deep as Fleming and Johnson pushed the top seeds and threatened to take the final to a third set. However, Fejes and Milutinovic held their ground and won 25-23 against the second seeds to conquer their first Asian Tour title.

Fejes and Milutinovic had earlier beaten Suzuka Hashimoto and Reika Murakami of Japan 2-0 (21-12, 21-18) in the semi-finals.

Fleming and Johnson also got the better of Japanese third seeds Asami Shiba and Saki Maruyama 21-17, 21-17 in the other semis to secure an all-Aussie final at the Nuvali Open.

In the men’s draw, D’Artagnan Potts and Ben Hood, the world No. 103, overcame a semi-final defeat to win the bronze medal match and ensured that Australian teams finished with a medal of every colour from the meet.

Potts and Hood’s run to the final came to an end against higher-ranked Thai opponents Pithak Tipjan and Poravid Taovato in the last four. The Australian team lost 21-15, 18-21, 15-11.

However, the pair put that defeat behind them and clinched the bronze medal against another Thai pair - Surin Jongklang and Dunwinit Kaewsai, beating them 21-15, 21-14.

Asian Challenge Volleyball League: Pakistan Federation Invites India For Tournament In Islamabad

Pakistan Volleyball Federation (PVF) has invited India to send its team for the Asian Challenge Volleyball League to be held in Islamabad next month. PVF chief Chaudhary Yaqoob said they had also sent invitations to the Indian Volleyball Federation for the event in which 10 to 12 teams are expected to participate.

“After much effort, we have won the opportunity to host the Asian Challenge Volleyball Championship and we would like to see all the top teams from the continent participate in the event from May 11 to 17,” he said.

Chaudhary Yaqoob, the head of PVF, expressed their earnest desire to host top teams from across the continent in the championship scheduled from May 11 to 17.

Iran, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan have confirmed their registrations, while other confirmations are awaited.

The event anticipates the participation of 10-12 teams, promising an exhilarating display of volleyball prowess on the court.
As preparations intensify, Pakistan's players are currently undergoing rigorous training at a camp in Islamabad, gearing up to showcase their skills on home turf.
With hopes of fostering camaraderie and healthy competition, PVF eagerly awaits responses from all invited nations, striving to make the Asian Challenge Volleyball League a memorable and inclusive sporting spectacle

Prime Volleyball League 2024: Calicut Hereos beat Delhi Toofans to win first title

The Calicut Heroes stunned the Delhi Toofans 3-1 in the final of the 2024 Prime Volleyball League on Thursday to lift their first trophy. The Calicut side secured a 15-13, 15-10, 13-15, 15-12 win at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai.

The Delhi defence began well, cancelling out Calicut's aggressive attacks. Lazar Dodic and Santhosh showcased their attacking prowess, but a series of serve errors from Delhi allowed Calicut to cover the deficit.

Vikas Maan made solid blocks while Jerome Vinith contributed in Calicut's defence. Perotto's magical super serve helped the Calicut Heroes get an early lead in the match.

Delhi began to attack from the middle, engaging Aayush and Aponza, while Calicut relied on Jerome and Chirag attacking from opposite ends.

Danial's monster block on Dodic motivated Calicut. Delhi did not help themselves with unforced errors and Calicut starting sailing. Danial made two crucial blocks on Delhi attackers, and Calicut Heroes took a 2-0 lead.

Santhosh found himself shackled by Danial while Perotto remained aggressive on the attack. Two crucial blocks from Aponza and Manoj reignited Delhi to win the third set.

Mukesh became an unlikely hero for Delhi while Rohit's electric serves tested Calicut. But in the fourth set, Jerome cancelled out Delhi's defence with vicious hits from the right and Calicut picked up a mammoth win.