Foolad Sirjan Positioned Top in Group B

Foolad Sirjan Iranian Volleyball Team secured a victory against the Afghan representative in their opening match at the 2024 Asian Men’s Club Volleyball Championship, positioning themselves at the top of Group B.

According to the Volleyball Federation’s communications department, the 26th Asian Men’s Club Volleyball Championship commenced today (Sunday, September 9) at the 6000 seat Shahediyeh Hall in Yazd.

In the fourth and final match of the opening day, the Foolad Sirjan team, competing as the Iranian Premier League champions, faced Kam Air of Afghanistan, coached by international coach Hamid Mohammadi. The Iranian team triumphed with a score of three sets to zero, demonstrating their dominance and readiness for upcoming matches.

Wearing their red uniforms against the white-clad Afghan team, Sirjan players showcased their preparedness and decisively won with scores of 25-11, 25-11, and 25-20.

From the outset of the first set, Foolad’s superiority was evident. With star Iranian players in their lineup, Coach Behrouz Ataei’s players quickly established a lead, taking the first set 25-11.

In the second set, the tall Sirjan players maintained their coordination, again winning convincingly with a similar score of 25-11, bringing them closer to a complete victory.

However, in the third set, Ataei made significant changes to the starting lineup, opting to give younger players an opportunity to rest the stars for future matches. This trust in his young talent proved commendable, as they also managed to overcome their opponents with a score of 25-20, completing a win for Foolad. Consequently, they became the first team on the opening day to win all three sets consecutively and claim the top position in their group.

Foolad Sirjan team featured captain Seyed Mohammad Mousavi, Amir Hossein Esfandiar, Ali Hajipour, Ali Ramezani, Mohammad Valizadeh, Mojtaba Mirzajanpour, and Mehdi Marandi (libero) in this match.

The officiating was handled by Faisal Alshamiri from Kuwait and Akhmetov Aidos from Kazakhstan, with around one thousand Yazdi fans attending.

Foolad Sirjan will face Gas Al-Janoob of Iraq tomorrow (Monday, September 10) in their second match of the tournament, scheduled to start at 8 PM.