Sri Lanka missed out on making the top 12 after they were defeated 3-1 by China in the Men’s Volleyball competition at the 18th Asian Games Jakarta-Palembang 2018.
Sri Lanka defeats Vietnam in straight sets
Sri Lanka defeated Vietnam 3-0 in a dominant performance in the Men’s Volleyball competition at the 18th Asian Games…
Sri Lanka lost a close encounter to Thailand in their opening pool E match but fought back to defeat Vietnam, who surprisingly won against China, in straight sets.
China who are ranked 20th in the world got off to an early 5-1 lead in the 1st set against the world ranked 78th side. Sri Lanka managed to make it 6-4 before China scored six unanswered points to make it a 12-4 healthy lead. At 20-10 there was no coming back as Sri Lanka lost the opening set 25-15.
Sri Lanka fought back in the 2nd set taking a 3-0 lead and keeping a close tab on the opposition. After trading point for point the islanders took a 2-point lead at 15-13 but China managed to equalize at 18 all. Scoring the next four points, Sri Lanka took a crucial 22-18 lead before finishing off the 2nd set 20-25.
China responded with vengeance leading 6-1 in the 3rd set. The lead increased to 10 points at 18-8 as they closed the set 25-14. Sri Lanka battled in a tight 4th set, in a must win situation, at 13-11 but thereafter China took the game away from the Lankans going on a 7-2 run and eventually won the set and the match 25-17.
Asanka & Yapa finish 3rd in group
Sri Lanka’s Asanka Pradeep Kumara and Malintha Yapa finished 3rd in Pool B in the Men’s Beach Volleyball competition…
Sri Lanka will gain confidence from how they have performed in the last couple of months under their new head coach Dejan Vulicevic. He has transformed the talented bunch into a side which can pose problems even for the top ranked teams.
Sri Lanka will now eye a 13th place finish and build on the momentum for the 1st Asian Men’s Volleyball Challenge Cup which will be held in mid-September in Sri Lanka.
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