MANAMA, 11 February — Saudi Arabia’s champions Al Ahli, Al Arabi (Qatar) and hosts Muharraq (Bahrain) emerged victorious in the first round of the 21st GCC Clubs Volleyball Championship by beating Suhar (Oman), Al Jazeera (UAE) and Kazma (Kuwait), respectively.
Al Ahli got off to a comfortable victory by beating Suhar 3-0 (25-17, 25-13, 25-18) last night at the Juffair Youth Center, in Manama.
The second day of the tournament saw Al Ahli dominate their encounter with Suhar who seemed lacking experience as the Saudis triumphed after a one-sided affair.
However, it was a seesaw start as the Omanis showed some impressive tactics which made them tough rivals to the hot favorites.
Points from Khalid Ali, Mohammed Saeed and Majid Al Hamdan kept Suhar close to Al Ahli in the early stages of the first set.
But the Saudis were soon back to their dazzling form as they unleashed their unbeatable smashes to extend their lead to 20-13, then win the set at 25-17 in 25 minutes, thanks to their veteran playmaker Abdo Yami.
The next two sets were in favor of Al Ahli. They took a comfortable lead of 21-10 before they secured the second set 25-13 in 15 minutes.
Abdullah Al Bahli, Abdo Yami and Qatari imported player Mubarak Eid were mostly relied on and made wonderful contributions to Al Ahli who marched on in the third set which was an easy battle for their team by 25 to 18.
Al Ahli’s upcoming clash will be against Al Arabi of Qatar today on the third day of competition.
