India and Iran squeezed out four-set victories to inch closer to a fifth place finish in the 2024 AVC Challenge Cup.
India and Iran are headed to the fifth place match after defeating their respective opponents in the 2024 AVC Challenge Cup classification round at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum in Manila on Tuesday, May 28.
The first game of the day witnessed a thrilling clash between India and Indonesia. The Indians emerged victorious after a tough fight, winning in four sets, 25-16, 30-32, 25-20, 27-25.
After allowing an extended set in the fourth due to their attack errors, team captain and setter Jini Kovat Shaji smartly connected on a 1-2 play to lead India to match point.
Indonesia then over-received Shaalini Saravanan’s serve, which led to Aswani Kandoth’s tip, which sealed India's win.
The Indians had a stellar performance from its attackers, with Anusree Kambrath Poyilil and Soorya Soorya leading the charge with 21 and 18 points apiece.
“[The] Indonesia team is a very good team. They gave so much fight for us, so we [did] our best, and we [got] good results,” said Jini.
Conversely, Iran came out victorious in a close four-set victory over Hong Kong, 26-24, 26-24, 19-25, 25-19.
After faltering in the third set, the Iranians regained their composure and distanced themselves early on in the fourth.
Hong Kong tried to mount a comeback, but Iran proved too much as Shaghayegh Hassan Khani and Aytak Salamat sealed the win with back-to-back hits.
“I hope we can do our plans, and [at] the end of the game, we should win [that] game,” Salamat said about facing India tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong and Indonesia will go at it tomorrow in the seventh place match.
In the ninth match, Chinese Taipei defeated Singapore in straight sets, 27-25, 25-10, 25-10.