Iran volleyballers beat Japan in Rio 2016 qualifier

Iran’s national volleyball team beat Japan Wednesday at the Men’s World Olympic Qualification Tournament.

The Iranian outfit beat the Japanese opponent 3-1 (25-20, 19-25, 25-22 and 27-25) in a fixture staged at the world-class Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium in the Japanese capital.

Volleyball players from both teams started the match energetically, and chalked up close points before the Persians led 8-6 at the first technical timeout.

The Iranian sportsmen kept composure as they returned to action. They maintained the lead with emphatic spikes and good defense, and were up 16 points to 14 at the second technical timeout.

The Iranian side did not relinquish and eventually took the first set 25-20.

The hosts presented neat serves and attacks as the match progressed into the second set. They pushed ahead and led by two points (8-6) at the first technical timeout.

The Japanese continued to accumulate points later on, and grabbed the second set 25-19 at last.

The Iranian volleyball players returned to action, regaining the lead after the break. They won most of the points in their way to lead at the end of the third set 25-22.

The Iranians extended their dominance into the fourth set, and went on racking up points despite stiff fightback from the opposite side, and finally clinched a 27-25 victory.

Japan's Kunihiro Shimizu topped the scorers' charts with 23 points. Shahram Mahmoudi was Iran’s best scorer with 22.

The national Iranian men's volleyball team is scheduled to play against China on Thursday in its fifth match.

The Men’s World Olympic Qualification Tournament kicked off in Tokyo on May 28 and will run through June 5.

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