WAPDA secure bronze in Asian Club Volleyball

KARACHI: WAPDA created history on Monday when they came from behind to defeat Vietnam’s Sanset Khanh Hoa 3-2 to secure a bronze medal at the AVC 2018 Asian Men’s Club Volleyball Championship in Wunna Theikdi Indoor Stadium Hall in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar.

After losing the first set 19-25, Pakistan champions came back strongly, winning the second set 25-21.The Vietnamese regained composure in the third set, with tremendous power spiking, winning it 25-16 to take 2-1 lead.

WAPDA bounced back when they grabbed a 25-20 win in the fourth set. In the fifth set, a gruelling fight was witnessed before WAPDA clinched it 18-16 to finish at the third place.

In the entire event WAPDA lost only one game out of five. On Sunday they tasted a 2-3 defeat at the hands of Kazakhstan’s Atyrau in the semi-final.

They had earlier defeated Japan’s Toray Arrows, China’s Sichuan, Myanmar’s Asia World Club and Turkmenistan’s Binagar Club.

Pakistan Volleyball Federation (PVF) chairman Chaudhry Yaqoob was happy with WAPDA’s achievement. “It is a historic occasion. Winning a medal on debut is great,” he told ‘The News’.

“The event gave an opportunity to our top players to play against the best teams of Asia. This will help them in the Asian Games,” Yaqoob said. It is pertinent to mention here that most of the players in WAPDA represent Pakistan.