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Dubai: Al Nasr clinched the Zayed Volleyball Cup after defeating Al Ain 3-0 in the last match of the tournament held at Al Ain Club's indoor sports hall on Friday night.
"Those who said the Al Nasr volleyball team were gone for good and would never win a title again, have been proved wrong. We proved by winning the Zayed Cup that Al Nasr were still a strong team and would not be affected by losing the League or the FA Cup titles. We can always compensate for those losses and win other major titles at any time," Younis Sherrif, Manager of the Al Nasr team, told Gulf News.
Al Nasr, led by Algerian spikers Ali Garboo and Hesham Gammady, won all three matches in the tournament, held in Al Ain from April 30 to May 2.
In their first match, they beat Al Shabab 3-1 and then beat Al Wasl 3-0 in the second. In their third match, Al Nasr beat Al Ain, the UAE League champions, 3-0 (25-21, 25-21 and 25-16) to clinch the Zayed Cup - the first title win for the club this season.
Algerians shine
"The two Algerian players were excellent and showed fine form. They quickly understood their teammates and led the team to the title," Sherrif said.
Al Nasr, who have dominated the volleyball scene in the country for the last five seasons, winning all the titles, lost two titles this season - the FA Cup, won by Al Ahli, and the League crown, won by Al Ain.
"We lost the FA Cup due to the absence of six key players who were on national duty. The League was lost because we were focused on the GCC Clubs' Championships," said Sherrif. He added: "We are determined to win the President's Cup, starting next week.
"We meet Ittihad Kalba in the quarters and then Al Shabab in the semifinals. The players are eager to win their second title this season to compensate for the loss of the League and FA Cup," Sherrif added.
Mohammad Jalfar, the UAE Volleyball Association board chairman, presented the trophy and gold medals to Al Nasr players. Runners-up Al Shabab received silver medals, while Al Ain earned bronze medals.
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