Al Nasser claim silver medals in Arab volleyball

TDT | Manama                                        

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com   

Bahrain’s Al Nasser Club last night came away with the silver medals in the 41st Arab Clubs Volleyball Championship for Men, which came to a close in Egypt. The Bahrainis settled for the runner-up spot after falling to tournament champions and home side Al Ahly 0-3 (12-25, 10-25, 19-25) in the final.

Nasser tried valiantly to mount a challenge in the match but Ahly were just too strong on the night and never let up until the last ball. Nonetheless, Nasser claimed their first-ever medals in the regional tournament.

Last night’s loss was their only setback in the event, having won all their games leading up to the title match. Those included games against Al Wakrah of Qatar in the semi-finals, North Refineries of Iraq in the quarter-finals, and in the preliminary round, Almeena VC of Yemen, Al Sadaqa VC of Palestine, Asswehly SC of Libya, Kazma SC of Kuwait, and Al Ahli of Qatar.

The only other Bahraini teams to reach the competition’s title match were Dar Kulaib and Al Ahli in past editions. Coached by Brazilian Sergio Luis Cunha, Nasser’s roster in the championship included Mohammed Yaqoob, Ali Ebrahim, team captain Younes Abdulkarim, Yousef Khalid, Mohammed Omar, Hussain Mahdi, Mohammed Jassim, Jassim Al Turki, Ebrahim Mohammed, Jassim Hamza, Ahmed Issa, Ali Sultan, Mohammed Mirza, Hussain Al Haiki, Hussain Al Jashi, Mohammed Jaffar and Yousef Mohammed Tahir.

Following the final, the two teams were awarded their respective trophies and medals. Also, Al Seeb of Oman claimed the bronze medals after defeating Wakrah 3-2 (25- 23, 25-15, 17-25, 22-25, 15-13).