By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, Nov 28: Lack of match exposure cost Nepali eve 3-0 defeat at the hands of India in the women’s volleyball of the 13th South Asian Games held at National Sports Council (NSC) Covered Hall Tripureshwor, Kathmandu on Thursday.
Nepal performed well against India but Nepal went down to India by 26-24, 25-12 and 25-15 in a straight-set. Nepal dominated India in the first set with two times lead but host failed to grab match point while Nepal was 24-22.
Indian team made a heroic comeback as their server took three vital points from service and took the second set by 25-12 and they sealed the match with 25-16 in the final set.
Coach Jagdish Bhatt said that lack of match exposure cost Nepal the match against India. “We planned to win the first set and keep the pressure on our adversary but the opposite result decreased our moral.”
Bhatt conceded that the failure in receive department and said India bettered in blocking part.
Nepal women’s volleyball team captain Aruna Shahi said that they were nervous while playing against a strong side.
She said that Nepal gave their best in the first set but were unable to continue the same in the remaining set.
India will take on Bangladesh on Friday. Provided the victory of India, Nepal will advance to semis as runner up.
Men’s Volleyball
India cruised into the semi-final after they thrashed Bangladesh by 25-18, 24-14, 25-15 in the men’s volleyball. The result steered India into semifinal with three points. Team India will meet host Nepal in the last match of the group stage on Friday.