Al Arabi Club of Qatar had to remain content with another second best team honours as Bank Sarmayeh Tehran (Iran) clinched the final of the SMM Asia Men’s Club Volleyball Championship on their debut at the Wunna Theikdi Indoor Stadium in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar on Wednesday.
Al Arabi Club, who had lost the title to Taichung Bank of Chinese Taipei last year as well, clinched the opening set. But the way the Iranian team saved four set points (20-24) and forced extra points before losing, it was clear that the Qatari side would need their A game to counter the rivals.
Sadly, it was not to be and the bank men scripted a 24-26 25-18 25-16 25-19 victory to emerge the champions. The winners also qualified for the 2017 FIVB Men’s Club World Championship.
The Iranian teams have ruled the continental club volleyball with an iron hand and this was the 11th title for them. Paykan Tehran had been their most successful team with seven titles in nine finals. Their six crowns had come in a row, starting in 2006.
For Al Arabi, this was the third second-place finish in four finals. Also this was the fourth final on the trot for a Qatari outfit. Al Arabi’s arch-rivals Al Rayyan had figured in successive finals in 2013 and 2014.
Al Arabi are the lone Qatari team to have won the title. In 2012 Shanghai edition, they had beaten Shanghai Tang Dynasty 3-1 in the final. Iran’s Kalleh Mazandaran bagged the bronze medal, beating Almaty from Kazakhstan.
Toyoda Gosei Trefuerza of Japan clinched the third place, overcoming China’s Shanghai Golden Age. They took the lead twice but the Chinese team rallied to negate it. Eventually, the Japanese side pulled off the decider to wrap the match 25-21 23-25 25-19 17-25 15-13.
Altay VC (Kazakhstan) and Maseco TPHCM (Vietnam) grabbed the fifth and seventh places. Altay VC were a 25–22 21–25 25–21 25–20 winners over Taiwan Power (Chinese Taipei), while Maseco downed Asia World (Myanmar) 25–22 29–27 17–25 26–24 in the seventh place playoff.
Results
Final
Sarmayeh Bank Tehran (Iran) 3–1 Al Arabi (Qatar) 24–26 25–18 25–16 25–19
3rd place match
Shanghai Golden Age (China) 2–3 Toyoda Gosei Trefuerza (Japan) 21–25 25–23 19–25 25–17 13–15
5th place match
Altay VC (Kazakhstan) 3–1 Taiwan Power (Chinese Taipei) 25–22 21–25 25–21 25–20
7th place match
Maseco TPHCM (Vietnam) 3–1 Asia World (Myanmar) 25–22 29–27 17–25 26–24
Rankings
Rank Team
1st, gold medallists Bank Sarmayeh, Iran
2nd, silver medallists Al Arabi Club, Qatar
3rd, bronze medallists Toyoda Gosei, Japan
4 Shanghai Golden Age, China
5 Altay VC, Kazakhstan
6 Taiwan Power, Chinese Taipei
7 Maseco TPHCM, Vietnam
8 Asia World, Myanmar
9 Polri Samator, Indonesia
10 Gas Aljanoob, Iraq
11 Wing 46 Phitsanulok, Thailand
12 Al Jazira Club, United Arab Emirates
13 Malaysia, Malaysia
14 Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Awards
Most Valuable Player
Shahram Mahmoudi (Bank Sarmayeh, Iran)
Best Setter
Mehdi Mahdavi (Bank Sarmayeh, Iran)
Best Outside Spikers
Uros Kovacevic (Al Arabi Club, Qatar)
Gharah Milad Ebadipour (Bank Sarmayeh, Iran)
Best Middle Blockers
Leandro Vissotto Neves (Al Arabi Club, Qatar)
Seyed Mohammad Mousavi Eraghi (Bank Sarmayeh, Iran)
Best Opposite Spiker
Gyorgy Grozer (Shanghai Golden Age, China)
Best Libero
Koichiro Koga (Toyoda Gosei Trefuerza, Japan)
* Written By: Raajiv Tripathi, Qatar Tribune