KATHMANDU, Aug 3: Nepal has secured a historic victory over India in the CAVA Women's Nations League volleyball.
In a thrilling match held at the Dasharath Stadium in Tripureshwar, Nepal emerged victorious with a 3-2 win. The sets were closely contested with scores of 25-18, 12-25, 25-17, 18-25, and 15-13.
Nepal made a strong start, leading 12-6 in the first set, but India narrowed the gap to 11-13. Nepal took a timeout and extended the lead to 22-18, eventually winning the first set 25-18.
Second defeat for defiant Nepal
In the second set, Nepal and India were tied at 6-6 before India surged ahead, winning 25-12. Nepal also faced a red card for a player substitution error, which led to India's easy win in this set.
The third set saw Nepal take control with a 16-9 lead, finishing with a 25-17 victory and moving within one set of a historic win.
India led the fourth set from the start, taking an 8-3 lead and maintaining their advantage. Despite Nepal's efforts to close the gap to 15-17, India clinched the set 25-18 after a competitive finish.
The decisive fifth set was highly competitive. Nepal, gained points from Usha Bhandari and Saraswati Chaudhary, led 5-2 and later 8-5 after the court change. Despite a strong challenge from India, Nepal managed to hold their lead. After a timeout, Saraswati Chaudhary scored a crucial point, bringing Nepal to the match point at 14-13. Nepal sealed the victory with a final point to win the match 15-13.
This victory is particularly significant as Nepal previously lost 3-2 to India in the final of the 2019 South Asian Games at the same venue.
The CAVA Women's League features teams from Nepal, India, Iran, the Maldives, and Sri Lanka. The top four teams will advance to the semi-finals. In earlier matches, Nepal defeated Sri Lanka 3-0, while India won against Iran and the Maldives with scores of 3-1 and 3-0, respectively.
