The national team of Turkmenistan won silver medals at the Central Asian Volleyball Association (CAVA) Nations League, which concluded in Pakistan with the participation of six teams.
The tournament, held at the Liaquat Gymnasium sports complex in Islamabad, featured teams from Afghanistan, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan and Sri Lanka.
In the first stage of the competition, the CAVA Nations League participants played against each other, after which the two best teams competed in the final for the main prize.
The Turkmen volleyball players earned the right to play in the decisive match for the prestigious trophy by finishing second in the group stage after victories over the teams of Kyrgyzstan (3:0), Afghanistan (3:1), Sri Lanka (3:0), and losses against Iran (2:3) and Pakistan (1:3).
In the final, Serdar Tachnazarov's team faced the volleyball players of Pakistan, who went through the group stage of the competition undefeated with strong support from local fans.
The first two sets went to the hosts – 25:21, 25:19. In the third set, the Turkmen team managed to get back into the game, winning 25:20. However, in the fourth set, the Pakistanis regained their advantage, 25:14, and eventually won 3:1.
At the closing ceremony, the Pakistani team was awarded gold medals, while our team received silver medals.
Notably, a year ago at the CAVA Nations League in Cholpon-Ata (Kyrgyzstan), the Turkmen volleyball players finished 5th out of 7 teams. And now, they have made a noticeable step forward, winning silver medals. Additionally, Didar Nuryyev from our team won the individual prize for "Best Scorer of the Tournament," surpassing Usman Faryad Ali (Pakistan), who finished second in this category.
The bronze medals went to the Kyrgyzstan team, who defeated the Sri Lanka team 3:1 (25:20, 25:17, 20:25, 25:23) in the match for third place.
The Central Asian Volleyball Association (CAVA), which includes 14 countries, is the governing body for indoor, beach and grass volleyball in Central and South Asia.
The CAVA Nations League is of great importance because, starting in 2025, it will be integrated into the world ranking system.
