Competing in the final showdown of the Asian tournament, the Iranian team subdued Japan in consecutive sets to finish first at the 2017 Asian Men’s U23 Volleyball Championship.
Held at the 6,000-seater Hossein Rezazadeh Indoor Stadium in the northwestern Iranian city of Ardabil, the epic encounter saw the hosts defeating East Asian rivals 3-0 (27-25, 26-24 and 25-20).
The first set was more like a give and take process with the two sides exchanging scores in a neck and neck fashion though Iranians gained the upper hand by pulling out a 27-25 win. The Persian side, supported by scores of fans, maintained the lead in the two following sets to lift up the trophy at the conclusion of the prestigious Asian event.
On road to the finals, Iran had overcome Thailand 3-0 (25-22, 25-19 and 25-20) at the end of a semi-final match to secure a ticket to the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) Volleyball Men's U23 World Championship to be hosted by Egypt.
Chinese Taipei, Thailand, China, Pakistan, Malaysia, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka and Australia occupied the third to eleventh places, respectively.
The 2017 Asian Men's U23 Volleyball Championship opened in Ardabil, Iran, on May 01 and wrapped up May 09.
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