AVC Women’s Nations Cup:
Iran’s semifinal hopes dented by Kazakhstan defeat
Iran’s hopes of reaching the AVC Women’s Nations Cup semifinals were all but shattered after a 3-1 defeat to Kazakhstan in a Pool B match in Candon, Philippines, on Monday.
Having beaten the Central Asian side twice at last week’s CAVA Championship – including a 3-1 victory in the final – the Iranian women made a strong start, comfortably taking the opening set 25-13.
However, Kazakhstan, which fielded a different squad from the one that competed at the CAVA tournament, responded by claiming the second set 25-20 to level the match.
Inspired by prolific outside hitter Kristina Belova, who finished with a match-high 23 points – alongside Iran’s Fatemeh Khalili – Kazakhstan raced into an early five-point lead in the third set and never looked back, cruising to a 25-14 win before sealing the contest with a 25-20 victory in the fourth.
The defeat was the second in as many matches for South Korean head coach Lee Do-hee’s side, which had opened its campaign with a 3-1 loss to Indonesia (25-15, 21-25, 25-21, 25-22) on Saturday.
The result, coupled with Hong Kong’s straight-sets victory over Lebanon later in the day, saw Iran slip to fifth place in the six-team Pool B standings, while Kazakhstan moved to the top of table with its third consecutive victory.
The top two from each of the two pools will advance to the semifinals.
Iran will return to action against Lebanon at Candon City Arena on Wednesday before taking on defending champion Vietnam on Thursday and Hong Kong in its final group-stage match on Friday.