WAPDA retain volleyball title

ISLAMABAD: WAPDA lived up to the billings as they powered past Pakistan Air Force (PAF) in four games to retain the National Volleyball title at the Liaquat Gymnasium on Wednesday.

WAPDA won 25-13, 25-19, 21-25, 25-19 to emerge champions yet again. It was all going easy for WAPDA at the outset of the final with men in form piercing through PAF defence time and again to gather points.

Thanks to some powerful smashes from captain Naseer Ahmad and timely blocking from Murad Jehan and Munir Khan, WAPDA charges were outstanding.

Imran Sultan also picked some sizzlers to keep WAPDA up in the first game. Akhtar Ali and Mohammad Anwar also gave good account of themselves as WAPDA raced to six pints lead.

PAF players tried hard to plug the gap, but they failed to do much to threaten WAPDA.

The second game was no different as WAPDA kept up the pressure. PAF tried their heart out to make amends and looked like achieving the target but WAPDA smashers bounced back.

Saeed, Riaz Khan and Saqib Moon gathered some crucial points for PAF, but matching the class of Naseer, Anwar and Munir was always a difficult task.

PAF came out all guns blazing in the third game. PAF played fearless volleyball and the strategy, chalked up by experienced head coach Qazi Mushtaq, bore fruit as PAF took command and won the third game. “WAPDA played well in the first two games and we knew that we have got only one chance and that was to go all out. That strategy worked as we won the third set,” Qazi said.  That strategy did not work in the fourth game, however.