India score first win, stay in contention for quarterfinals in Fukuoka; Japan win pool

India scored their first win at the AVC Men's Volleyball Asian Championship and saved their chances of grabbing the last available vacancy in the quarterfinals, leaving New Zealand out of contention. Hosts Japan shut out Australia in the direct duel for the first place in Pool A. Korea swept their last match in Pool C against Qatar in straight sets. The tournament in Fukuoka serves as a qualification event for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games and for the 2027 FIVB Men’s Volleyball World Cup and is streamed live and on demand on VBTV.

• Watch the AVC Men's Volleyball Asian Championship on VBTV

In Tuesday’s opening game, India produced a 3-0 (25-22, 25-18, 25-21) victory over New Zealand in a decider for the third place in Pool B to stay in contention for a quarterfinal spot as one of the two best-ranked third-placed teams in the pools. Whether or not they advance will depend on the result of Wednesday’s match between the other two candidates from Pool A. If Oman get the three points against Bahrain, they will beat the Indians in the race for the quarterfinals. If Bahrain shut out Oman, then it will be between them and India on point ratios. In all other cases, India will progress to the last eight.

India’s opposite and captain Jerome Vinith Charles spearheaded the team to success with a match-high 19 points, including two kill blocks. Outside hitters Chirag Yadav (three aces, one block) and Amit Balwan Singh (two blocks) added 14 and 13 points, respectively. On New Zealand’s side, opposite Seth Dylan Grant and outsides John McManaway and Mana Placid scored 15, 13 and 12 points, respectively.

In the last match of the day, to the delight of six and a half thousand home fans in the stands of the Kitakyushu City Gymnasium, Japan mastered a 3-0 (25-20, 25-13, 25-21) shutout of Australia to top the final pool standings undefeated and leave the Aussies in second place on a 2-1 win-loss record, with both teams already qualified for the quarterfinals. While outside Ran Takahashi impressed with five serving aces and a 70% success rate in attack towards a total of 13 points for the winners, opposite Yuji Nishida delivered two aces and registered an 82% success rate in swinging towards a match-high 16 points. Outside hitter and opposite William D'Arcy-Miles led Australia with 13 points. Outside Lorenzo Pope added another 11.

In Pool C, where all three quarterfinalists have been known since Monday, Korea hammered out a 3-0 (25-20, 25-19, 25-15) sweep of their last match of the pool, against winless Qatar, and, finishing on a 2-1 win-loss record and 7 points, guaranteed themselves at least a top-two finish in the pool. Outside hitter Jaeyoung Lim contributed a team-high 15 points, including two aces and a block. Opposite Subong Heo put away four aces and a block to finish with 14 points. Qatar’s 13-year-old 2.10m-tall opposite and outside hitter Mubarak Musa Thiik Madut emerged as the best scorer of the match with 17 points under his belt, including an ace and a block.

Wednesday’s last competition day of the Asian Championship’s pool stage will offer another three matches: Bahrain against Oman in Pool A at 10:00 local time (01:00 UTC), Chinese Taipei against Thailand in Pool C at 13:30 (04:30), and Iran against China in Pool B at 17:00 (08:00).

AVC Men's Volleyball Asian Championship: schedule and results

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