AVC Women’s Volleyball Nations Cup:
Iran rallies past Indonesia in five-set thriller
Iranian volleyball girls got off to a winning start at the inaugural AVC Women’s Nations Cup on Saturday, coming from behind twice to beat Indonesia in a five-set thriller in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Iran gave away a tightly contested first set 23-25 to the experienced Indonesian squad before rallying to level the scoreline at 1-1 with a 25-23 second-set win.
Indonesia regained control in the third, winning 25-16, but Iran stormed back to take the fourth set 25-19 and sealed the decider 15-12 with a dominant display.
Iran held the upper hand in both blocking (17 to 6) and attacking (65 to 60), showcasing superior balance and firepower.
Five Iranian players scored in double figures, led by outside hitters Shaqayeq Hassankhani and Masoumeh Qadami, who contributed with 16 points apiece.
Middle blocker Reihaneh Karimi added 15, opposite spiker Sepinood Dastbarjan had 14, and middle blocker Zahra Salehi chipped in 11. For Indonesia, outside hitter Ersandrina Devega Salsabila delivered a match-high 25 points, including 24 kills.
Next for Iranian girls in Pool B are matches against the New Zealand, the Philippines, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia.
Earlier on the first day of the competition, Kazakhstan secured its first victory of the eight-day tournament by sweeping New Zealand 3-0 (25-15, 25-23, 25-15), while the Philippines also came out on top against Mongolia in straight sets (25-18, 25-16, 25-14).