VOLLEYBALL – MUHARRAQ took a one-game lead in their best-of-three championship series against Al Ahli last night in the 2024-25 Isa bin Rashid Bahrain Volleyball League.
Muharraq were firing on all cylinders in a resounding 3-0 (25-22, 25-17, 28-26) win in front of a packed crowd at Isa bin Rashid Volleyball Arena, located at Isa Sports City in Riffa.
The victors were in a class of their own in the game. They got into their groove midway through the opening set and rode their momentum to the third. There, they managed to overturn a late deficit and power to the stunning sweep.
Muharraq played a near-perfect game as they handed Ahli their first loss since the Top Six phase, which they ended undefeated in 10 games.
They will now have the opportunity to close out the finals series and secure the title in game two, scheduled for Saturday. Ahli, on the other hand, will be looking to regain the form that helped them secure the top seed heading into the Golden Square semi-finals and force a winner-take-all third game, which would be played on Monday next week.
In the opening set last night, both teams matched each other well and they forged a 7-all tie. A smash from Swedish professional Jacob Link then gave Muharraq an 11-9 advantage as they began to create some space. They went up 22-16 after an error from Ahli’s Hani Alawi, and later Link contributed another fine attack to secure the set.
In the second, Muharraq were dominant and raced ahead 19-11. Points from Link and Naser Anan then gave them the commanding two-set advantage as Ahli found themselves in an unfamiliar position.
In the third, both teams raised their levels and exchanged leads. Ahli then briefly came to life, sparked by an Ali Ebrahim spike that made it 16-15. French professional Joachim Panou contributed to make it 19-17, before a Hussain Mansoor block on Sayed Hashem Issa extended their lead to three.
But just as it appeared Ahli would extend the contest, Muharraq fought back and an Abbas Al Khabbaz stop on Alawi levelled the set at 22-all. Attacks from Mahmood Abdulhussain for Ahli and Anan for Muharraq kept it deadlocked at 25-apiece. Link then had an ace to put his team ahead but then followed it up with a service error.
Muharraq were then gifted the next two points to seal their victory, both coming on Ahli errors – first from Ebrahim and then from Abdulhussain.
Others to play key roles for Muharraq in their win last night were Mohammed Omar, Majeed Mohammed, Ali Alsairafi, and Mahmood Al Afiyah.
The champions of this season’s Isa bin Rashid Bahrain Volleyball League will earn the right to represent the kingdom in the AVC Men’s Champions League, which will be played May 11 to 18 in Japan. The Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) competition will feature 12 champion teams from across the continent.
The Bahraini champions will play in Pool D for the tournament’s opening phase, alongside Al Rayyan of Qatar and Sport Training Centre Three of Vietnam.
The AVC Men’s Champions League offers a cool $50,000 in prize money, along with two berths in the 2025 FIVB Club World Championship this December.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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