Sepahan wins historic CAVA Women’s League title
Iran’s Foolad Mobarakeh Sepahan made history on Tuesday by capturing the CAVA Women’s League title in Malé, Maldives, defeating Kazakhstan’s Turan VC in straight sets (25-22, 25-20, 25-20) in the final.
The triumph marked the first gold medal for an Iranian club in women’s volleyball competitions.
Sepahan’s historic success also secured the team a berth at April’s AVC Women’s Champions League in Goyang, South Korea.
The Iranian side opened its campaign with a 3-1 victory (25-14, 23-25, 25-14, 25-12) over hosts Huraa Community Club, before easing past Nepal Police Club and Uzbekistan’s Humo VC in straight sets to advance to the semifinals as the top team in Pool B.
Bolstered by several national team players, including setter Shabnam Alikhani and outside hitter Masoumeh Qadami, Sepahan continued its dominant run with a commanding 3-0 win (25-12, 25-9, 25-16) against Sri Lanka’s Hirdaramani Sports Club in the semifinals.
The latest success in the CAVA competition – which featured seven clubs from across Central and South Asia – brings Iranian women’s volleyball’s medal haul to four in as many months.
Iran defeated Uzbekistan 3-0 to clinch the CAVA Women’s Volleyball Championship title last October, securing the national team’s first gold medal since its establishment in 1963. The team then claimed bronze at the Islamic Solidarity Games in November.
The country also celebrated gold at the Asian Youth Games in Bahrain in October, where Iran’s under-18 side came from behind to defeat Indonesia in a dramatic five-set final.