The Dutch hitters bucked the absence of star player Nimir Abdel-Aziz en route to a four-set victory against Qatar in their opening game of the FIVB Men’s World Championship.
The Netherlands leaned on balanced scoring en route to a four-set victory over Qatar, 25-18, 25-23, 26-28, 25-23, in Pool B action of the 2025 FIVB Men’s Volleyball World Championship at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Saturday.
Despite the absence of star hitter Nimir Abdel-Aziz, the Dutch were able to fill in the gaps on offense, thanks largely to opposite hitter Michiel Ahyi, and outside hitters Tom Koops and Bennie Tuinstra.
The trio combined for a total of 51 points to pace World No. 19 Netherlands past the Qatari team ranked just one spot below them.
Qatar looked poised to tie the match at one set apiece in Set 2 when they were within one of the Dutch, 18-19 after a point from Ribiero Renan.
But a quick 3-1 run from the Netherlands gave them just enough breathing room down the stretch, 22-19, to hold on for Set 2 win and take the dominant 2-0 advantage, 25-23.
A block point from Cornelis Luuc van Der Ent on Renan sealed Netherlands’ fate in the second set.
Despite staring at a 0-2 hole, Qatar played their best volleyball in the third set -- thanks in part to untimely errors from the Dutch side.
The Netherlands were at match point, 26-25, but a service error from Ahyi knotted the set at 26-all and left the door ajar for the Qatari hitters.
Then it was another error, also from Ahyi, that gifted the set to Qatar and extended the match to a fourth set, 28-26.
Eager to bounce back from their misstep in set 3, the Netherlands started out the fourth set strong and zoomed to a 6-2 start -- capped off by an attack from Ahyi.
While Qatar tried to get back in the match, the Netherlands were able to adjust well and close out their foes in four sets.
The Netherlands fended off one final run by Qatar late in the set when back-to-back points got Qatar within one, 22-23.
But a crucial service error from the Qatari spikers gave Netherlands two match points and they needed them both to finish the job with Koops providing the finisher, 25-23.
Ahyi paced the Dutch hitters with a game-high 20 points built on 14 attacks, three blocks, and three aces while Koops and Tuinstra added 17 and 15, respectively.
Youssef Oughlaf led Qatar in the losing effort with 17 markers.
The Netherlands return to action on Monday, September 15, against Romania at 6:00 p.m. still at the Big Dome. Meanwhile, Qatar will try to bounce back against world no. 1 Poland in their next match on the same day at 9:30 p.m.
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Luisa Morales is a sports writer with a special interest in promoting women’s sports.
Her coverage highlights include the UAAP, PVL, Southeast Asian Games, and the FIBA World Cup. She also follows Alex Eala, the Philippine women’s national football team, and mixed martial arts.