Pakistan edge Bahrain in Asian Seniors Volleyball

KARACHI: Pakistan defeated Bahrain 3-2 in the 9-12 place semi-finals of the 18th Asian Seniors Men’s Volleyball Championship at the Azadi Sports Complex in Tehran, late on Thursday.
Kazakhstan, who beat India 3-1 in the 9-12 spot semi-finals, were scheduled to meet Pakistan in the ninth place play-off late Friday.
Bahrain-Pakistan showdown turned out to be a sweating affair with either side offering tough resistance.
After losing the first set 21-25, Pakistan fought back strongly, lifting the second and third set 25-20, 27-25 to take 2-1 lead.
However, in the fourth set Bahrain kept Pakistan under an immense pressure and won the set convincingly 25-15 to level the score 2-2.
In the last and decisive set, Pakistan brought discipline in their ranks and secured a 15-9 victory to seal a fantastic 3-2 triumph.
In the other semi-finals for 9-12 spot, Kazakhstan got the better of India 3-1 with the set score being 25-15, 26-24, 30-32, 25-21.
Meanwhile in the semi-finals, Japan were scheduled to face Qatar late Friday, while China were set to meet Iran.
Last edition’s runners-up Australia will lock horns with Chinese Taipei in the fifth place game on Saturday (today), while in the other game of the day Thailand will face South Korea in the seventh place play-off.