Oman close in on Arab volleyball crown

MUSCAT, OCT
Oman moved a step closer to the Arab volleyball title after defeating hosts Jordan in straight sets on Sunday, October 11, securing their fourth consecutive victory at the 24th Arab Men’s Volleyball Championship in Amman.
The 25-18, 25-18, 25-11 success at the Arena Hall maintained Oman’s unbeaten record ahead of their concluding fixture against Bahrain on Wednesday, October 14, at 6 pm Oman time. A fifth victory would secure the championship.
Oman’s progress is also reflected in the FIVB Men’s Volleyball World Ranking. The official Volleyball World website’s October 12 update placed Oman 61st, with the team listed under Highest Jump after advancing 13 places. Bahrain were ranked 44th.
Against Jordan, Oman combined organised defending, effective attacking and strong blocking while limiting errors at important stages.
They established the advantage with a 25-18 opening-set victory and repeated that score in the second. Their superiority became more pronounced in the third, which they won 25-11 to complete their first straight-sets victory of the tournament.

The result followed wins over Algeria, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Oman defeated Algeria 3-1, overcame Saudi Arabia 3-2 in a five-set contest and recovered from an opening-set setback to beat Kuwait 3-1.
At the close of Sunday’s matches, Oman led the standings with 11 points from four victories. Bahrain remained unbeaten with nine points from three matches and were scheduled to face Algeria on Tuesday before meeting Oman.
The six-team championship follows a single round-robin format, with the final standings determining the title and medal winners.
Wednesday’s encounter also offers Oman an opportunity to reverse their September defeat by Bahrain at the Asian championship in Japan. Bahrain won that meeting 3-0, ending Oman’s campaign at the group stage.
Tunisian head coach Nizar Chekili will look to build on the improvement shown in Amman as Oman pursue another regional trophy. They won the West Asia Men’s Volleyball Championship in Muscat in July, defeating Qatar in straight sets in the final.
Captain Saud al Maamari said the Jordan result reflected the players’ commitment and concentration. He noted that maintaining their focus throughout the match had helped Oman overcome the hosts without dropping a set.

Al Maamari expects Bahrain to present a different challenge but believes Oman are ready to compete for the title. He said the squad were determined to deliver a strong performance and would give everything to fulfil their championship ambitions and make the Omani supporters happy.
Mahmoud al Saadi stressed that the task was not finished despite the four victories. He said the players must retain their focus, reduce mistakes and make the most of their opportunities against Bahrain.
Al Saadi added that the previous defeat had helped the team identify areas for improvement, with attention now firmly on producing their best performance in the upcoming encounter.