Muharraq defeat Nabih Saleh for crucial victory

TDT | Manama                                                     

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Muharraq battled past Nabih Saleh in four sets last night as the fifth and last week of round one in the Top Six got underway in the 2023/2024 Isa bin Rashid Bahrain Volleyball League.

Muharraq needed to dig deep to overcome a spirited challenge from their opponents and claim a 3-1 (25-21, 21-25, 25-16, 25-21) final score line.

The victors came away with an all-important result to improve their chances of making it to the Golden Square semi-finals.

Muharraq closed out the first set with a spike from Italian-Argentinian professional Tomas Gallo, but Nabih Saleh fought back in the second and tied the proceedings following a service error.

Muharraq did well to regain their momentum in the third and then in the fourth, started well but Nabih Saleh roared back.

A triple block then gave Muharraq match point, and they took advantage of it to seal the win with a double block by Abbas Al Khabbaz and Sayed Ali Mohammed on Nabih Saleh’s Sayed Hashem Isa.

Also playing key roles for Muharraq in the contest were Mahmood Al Afia, Ali Al Sairafi, Hussain Ehsan, Majeed Mohammed and Ahmed Issa.

For Nabih Saleh, they also relied on the play of Mohammed Jassim, Hussain Ashoor and Nigerian professional Oyewale Oyedepo.

Muharraq claimed their third win in five games to complete the first round of the Top Six with a winning record. Nabih Saleh dropped their third match to go with two wins.

Action in the Top Six continues tonight with a hugely exciting clash between defending champions Dar Kulaib and undefeated league leaders Al Ahli, scheduled to begin at 6.30pm.

Dar Kulaib will be looking to bounce back from their first loss all season last week but will be facing a tough challenge from Ahli, who are hoping to dethrone their opponents.

Dar Kulaib currently have a 3-1 win-loss record while Ahli have won all four of their matches so far.

Ahli will be looking to complete a clean sweep of the first round in this Top Six phase. The Top Six is being played in a double round-robin.

Following the end of the first round tonight, the second round will follow from Sunday next week onwards. That will then set the stage for the Golden Square.