Najma storm back to beat Dar Kulaib in five-setter

TDT | Manama                      

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com   

Al Najma stormed back to claim a thrilling 3-2 (18- 25, 25-23, 22-25, 26-24, 15-7) victory over Dar Kulaib last night in a clash of the titans that wrapped up the round-of-six playoffs in the 2022/2023 Isa bin Rashid Bahrain Volleyball League.

The game was played at a packed Isa bin Rashid Arena at Isa Sports City in Riffa.

With Dar Kulaib on the verge of victory leading 24-21 in the fourth set, Najma came alive and scored the next five points to send the match into the tiebreak.

There, they rode their momentum and took a 10-5 lead and never looked back.

The result earned Najma the top seed at the end of the play-offs with a 9-1 win-loss record. Dar Kulaib finish with a 7-3 mark to claim the second seeds, while Al Ahli are third with a similar 7-3 record followed by Muharraq with a 4-6 mark.

Al Nasser (3-7) and Nabih Saleh (0-10) complete the topsix standings.

Playing key roles for the victors yesterday were Estonian professional Kevin Saar, and Bahraini stars Ali Ebrahim, Fadhel Abbas, Hassan Dhahi and Mohammed Habib, to name a few.

Leading the way for Dar Kulaib in the loss were Argentinian professional Juan Barrera, along with Bahraini talents Mohammed Yaqoob, Ali Habib, Mahmoud Abdulwahed and libero Hussain Sultan, among others.

Najma now head into the Golden Square semi-finals with a twice-to-beat advantage as they face off with Muharraq.

Dar Kulaib, meanwhile, play a best-of-three series against Al Ahli.