Muscat: Al Seeb and Al Bashayer have qualified for the final of the First Division Volleyball League for the current season, scheduled to take place on January 27, while Sohar and Majees will meet in the third-place playoff, following the conclusion of the semifinal matches held at the Sohar Sports Complex Hall.
Al Seeb successfully secured their place in the final after defeating Majees in straight sets, in a match that was full of excitement and technical balance but highlighted Al Seeb’s superiority in the decisive moments. Al Seeb won the three sets 26–24, 25–23, and 26–24, confirming their strong readiness to go all the way in the competition.
Al Seeb delivered a well-balanced performance that combined tactical discipline, attacking efficiency, and defensive solidity at the net. This was reflected in the total points, as Al Seeb scored 77 points compared to 69 for Majees. Despite the close number of errors (24 for Al Seeb and 23 for Majees), Al Seeb clearly had the edge in blocking, recording 10 blocks compared to 7, as well as a slight advantage in service aces (2–1), giving them a clear upper hand in key moments.
The match also featured a strong scoring battle between Ismail al Hadidi of Al Seeb and Saeed Morgan of Majees, with both players finishing with 13 points each. However, Al Hadidi had the greater attacking impact, scoring 13 attack points with a 52 per cent success rate, compared to 11 attack points and a 33 per cent success rate for Morgan, in addition to one block point, further highlighting his influence on the game.
Al Bashayer Advance After Thrilling SemiFinals
In the other semifinal, Al Bashayer overcame Sohar with a 3–1 set victory in a tightly contested match in which both teams exchanged control before Al Bashayer claimed the final advantage. Al Bashayer won the opening set 25–19, before Sohar responded strongly in the second set, winning 25–18. However, Al Bashayer quickly regained momentum and secured the third and fourth sets 25–21 and 25–19.
Despite the loss, Sohar recorded a higher total of 93 points compared to 84 for Al Bashayer, but the decisive factor was the large number of errors committed by Sohar, who made 36 errors compared to just 21 for Al Bashayer, handing their opponents many free points. Sohar also led in blocks (11 to 8) and in service errors (15 to 10), while Al Bashayer had the advantage in service aces (3 to 2).
In the race for top scorer, Sohar’s Shisha stood out with 22 points, compared to 19 points for Al Bashayer’s star Emil Khan. Khan showed greater attacking efficiency, scoring 18 attack points with a 55 per cent success rate, while Shisha recorded 21 attack points with a 50 per cent success rate. Shisha also committed 7 errors, compared to 5 errors by Emil Khan.
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