CAVA Women’s Volleyball Championship:
Iranian girls relish ‘character-boosting’ milestone
Winning the title at a four-team tournament may hardly be regarded as a significant achievement by any measure. Still, opposite spiker Aytak Salamat was thrilled to be a part of Iran’s milestone campaign at the CAVA Women’s Volleyball Championship.
Iranian women’s volleyball captured its maiden international gold since the first national team was established in 1963, thanks to a straight-set victory (25-14, 25-14, 25-19) over Uzbekistan in Sunday’s final in Tashkent.
Salamat was joined by Reihaneh Karimi, Fatemeh Khalili, Shabnam Alikhani, Negar Hashemi, and Elaheh Poursaleh in starting the final showpiece for Iran.
Shaqayeq Hassankhani, Zahra Karimi, Paria Hajatmand, Noura Mohammadi, Fatemeh Manzouri, Nazanin Alizadeh, Zahra Salehi, and Ghazaleh Bostan were the other members of the history-making squad in the Uzbek capital.
The triumph rounded off an emphatic run for the Iranian girls, who did not concede a single set throughout the tournament, breezing past Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and the host nation in the league phase.
“I hope we can win this championship again and also secure a shining medal at the Islamic Solidarity Games.
“Winning a first gold medal in 62 years is just an incredible feeling; it builds solidarity within the team and strengthens our character. I truly hope we can repeat this success and experience this wonderful feeling again,” said Salamat, who was joined by two of her teammates, middle-blocker Reihaneh Karimi and outside-hitter Fatemeh Khalili, in the tournament’s Dream Team.
“Thank Gold we won all of our games here and ultimately lifted the trophy,” said Khalili, who was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament.
“The CAVA tournament served as a warmup for the upcoming Islamic Solidarity Games. We won the silver medal in the previous edition three years ago [in Konya, Turkey] but this year we will be a much stronger team and will compete for the title,” added the Iranian player.
The sixth edition of the Islamic Solidarity Games will get underway on November 7 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Reihaneh Karimi, meanwhile, was pleased with the significance of the CAVA crown, saying: “This tournament was very important for us as the champion won direct qualification for next year’s Asian Championship. It was also influential for the world ranking and improved Iran’s position. We are very happy about all that.”
“Furthermore, the event served as an effective training camp for our team, allowing us to implement our tactics in a competitive setting. We are now preparing for the Islamic Solidarity Games and will be dispatched to the competition in about twenty days.”
Following the four-game domination in Tashkent, the Iranian team jumped 15 slots to an all-time high of 47th in the latest FIVB Women’s Ranking, released on Monday, with 74.24 points.
South Korean head coach Lee Do-hee said she would be looking to build on the latest success to steer Iranian women’s volleyball to further success in the future.
“I was just told this is the first time this medal has been won, and I am very proud to be a part of this great success,” Lee said.
“Thank God we finished the tournament with a decent result.
“I think the players have improved significantly, and since we are preparing for the Islamic Solidarity Games, I felt the team had more time to build coordination. This event was a very good opportunity for Team Iran.
“One of my immediate goals is to have a successful run with the under-18 team at the Asian Youth Olympic Games. After that, the Islamic Solidarity Games is another key objective where we aim to reach the final with the team.
“Beyond that, I have other long-term goals. We will work progressively to achieve them, with the aim of properly developing Iranian women’s volleyball.”