Qatar’s Al Arabi, the 2016 finalists, began their title challenge at the 36th GCC Club Volleyball Championships at the Ali Bin Hamad Al Attiyah Arena in Doha on Wednesday on a losing note after suffering a 2-3 (21-25, 25-23, 20-25, 25-21, 13-15) defeat at the hands of Al Salam of Oman.
The encounter, the last of the three matches of the opening day of the championships, saw the 2010 champions on the backfoot in the first set after surrendering an initial 12-9 lead to the Omanis who used their precise serves and superb spikes to their great advantage in the highly entertaining encounter.
The Qataris, parading star players Fabricio, Jorge, Ahmad and Thiago, staged a determined comeback in the second set with Fabricio leading the challenge as they recorded a 25-23 win to restore parity.
However, the comeback was not to last for long as Al Salam restored their lead in the third set while Al Arabi bounced back in the fourth.
The tiebreaker was a set of grit and determination as the two teams played with caution with neither sides ready to yield ground. But the night belonged to the Omanis with the pendulum swinging in their favour once again as they snatched a narrow victory to the disappointment of their hosts.
Al Arabi will next face Al Ain of UAE in Thursday’s match while Al Salam will clash with Al Ahli of Bahrain in the second match of the day.
Al Arabi, who have been one of the most successful teams on the local scene with 25 league trophies to their honour, have not been able to replicate the success on the regional and international scene.
They have so far clinched only one trophy (2010) in the regional annual tournament.
In the other matches of the day, Al Ahli came out the better of the lot in the all-Bahraini encounter against Dar Kulaib.
Al Ahli pipped their compatriot 3-2 (25-20, 17-25, 25-23, 21-25, 15-10) in the opening match of the tournament.
Dar Kulaib will have another opportunity of recording a win in the round-robin tournament when they next face Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal’s match against Al Ain of UAE was the only match that did not go into a tiebreaker on the day.
The Saudi team convincingly defeated the Emirati sides 3-1 (33-35, 25/13, 25-23, 25-14) in the clearly one-sided encounter.
Al Hilal, who are one of the most successful clubs in the region with four titles in their kitty, ensured that their experience counted against their opponents as they wrapped up the game in record time to the consternation of the Emirati fans.
Qatar’s other representatives and defending champions, Al Rayyan will begin their title defence quest on Thursday against Al Hilal.
Seven clubs from the region are vying for the top place in the tournament, which is being played in a round-robin format, with the team with the maximum number of points emerging the winner.
Written by: Victor Bolorunduro