News / Sports

Iran blanks Qatar in Asian Junior Volleyball Championship

Sunday, 10 July 2016 12:15 PM [ Last Update: Sunday, 10 July 2016 12:23 PM ]

The Iranian men’s national junior volleyball team

The Iranian men’s national junior volleyball team has pummeled Qatar to gain its second victory at the 18th edition of the Asian Men's U20 Volleyball Championship in Chinese Taipei.

On Sunday, the defending Asian volleyball champions trounced the Arabs 3-0 (25-16, 25-15 and 25-11) in their second Pool B game of the preliminary round of the tournament at the indoor Kaohsiung Arena in the southwestern Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung.

Even though the Qatari volleyball players started the first set in a strong fashion and earned the first points in the opening set, it was the Persians who raced to an 8-6 lead at the first technical timeout.

The Iranians then kept scoring and entered the second technical timeout 16-10. They could finally clinch the first set 25-16.

Both sides went on a point-by-point basis for the first few minutes of the second set, but it was the Iranians who were 8-6 ahead at the first technical timeout.

They were up 13-7 at the second technical timeout and won the second set 25-15 at last.

The Iranian volleyball players sustained pressure on Qatar’s defense in the third set, and recorded an 8-2 lead at the first technical timeout. They ultimately closed the set at 25-11.

Iran's 18-year-old Ali Asghar Mojarrad was named the top scorer of the match with 23 points.

"It was not a bad game. We expected it to be a tough task since Qataris are under the guidance of an experienced coach. Fortunately, our players were dominant on the court, and could frustrate the opposite side’s plans to seal a victory," Iran’s head coach Behrouz Ataei said after the match.

"Even though Qatar had some foreign players in its line-up, the Iranians stripped them of a chance to build up a lead, and earned a fairly deserved win."

The 18th edition of the Asian Men's U20 Volleyball Championship kicked off in Kaohsiung on July 9 and will wrap up on July 17.

Iran has been pitted against Qatar, Turkmenistan and Hong Kong in Pool B of the tournament.

Host Chinese Taipei, Thailand, Kazakhstan and Myanmar are drawn in Pool A.

Pool C comprises China, Japan, Pakistan and Iraq, while South Korea, Bahrain, Sri Lanka and Australia are in Pool D.

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