VNL 2023: Cuba defeat wraps up below-par run for Iran
The 2023 Volleyball Nations League will surely be one to forget for Iran, which ended up third from bottom in the 16-team preliminary round table – the lowest finish for the Asian powerhouse in the history of the competition.
Playing again without head coach Behrouz Ataei, prolific opposite Amin Esmaeilnejad and first-choice setter Mohammad-Taher Vadi – who were denied US visa entries – as well as injured Morteza Sharifi, Iran came from behind twice to force a fifth-set decider against Cuba on Sunday in Anaheim, California, before eventually suffering a 22-25, 28-26, 23-25, 30-28, 10-25 defeat in the final outing in Week 3.
Jesus Herrera Jaime contributed a game-high 28 points for the Cubans, with outside hitter Miguel Angel Lopez finishing on 27 – including three aces.
Twenty-year old opposite Bardia Sa’adat topped the scoring for Iran with 17 points, while Amirhossein Esfandiar and team captain Seyyed Mohammad Mousavi chipped in 16 and 14 points respectively.
This was a 10th defeat in 12 games for Iran, which had made it to the VNL Finals under Ataei last year before being knocked out by Poland in a thrilling five-setter in the quarterfinals.
Iran’s two wins at the this year’s event came in against China (3-1) in Week 1 and Germany (3-0) in the opening game of Week 2 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
An under-par campaign saw Ataei’s men being beaten in straight sets by Japan, Slovenia, Italy, USA, and France, while leaving the court with minimum point in five-set losses to Poland, the Netherlands, Bulgaria, and Argentina in the buildup to Sunday’s game.
The United States topped the table with 10 wins and will take on Tokyo Olympic gold medalist France in the last-eight round – starting July 19 in Gdansk, Poland.
VNL’s surprise package Japan, which also won 10 games for a place in the VNL Finals, will go head-to-head with Slovenia, with third-placed Poland squaring off against volleyball giant Brazil for a last-four spot on home soil.
Reigning world champion Italy and Argentina will meet for the second time in the ongoing tournament, with the Italians hoping to make amends after being stunned in straight sets by the South Americans in their opening contest.