Al Tadawi 1 upset Zabeel at NAS volleyball event

Newcomers Al Tadawi I made an instant impact while securing a stunning 3-1 victory over defending champions Zabeel as the volleyball competition of the I2th Nad Al Sheba Sports Tournament got under way at the Nad Al Sheba Sports Hall.

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Participating in the tournament for the first time with players mainly from Dynamo Moscow, one of Russia’s most prestigious clubs, Al Tadawi | fought back from a set down to open the volleyball tournament with a 3-1 victory over defending champions, Zabeel.

Brimming with confidence, Zabeel dominated much of the first set to secure a close 27-25 win and go clear |-O. But, with Maksim Sapozhkoy, Denis Bogdan, Anton Semyshev and llia Vlasov finding their rhythm it seemed to be the night of the underdogs as Al Tadawi | ran away with the next three sets, 25-20, 25-23 and 25-91 to lodge the first major upset of the volleyball competition.

Sapozhkov was rightly adjudged the Most Valuable Player for a game-high Ié points, followed by Bogdan (I3) and I2 points apiece from Semyshev and Vlasov.

The second match of the night went the distance with Al Ameed securing a hard-fought 3-2 (22-95, 95-21, 22-95, 25-20, |5-IO) win against HFH.