FUKUOKA, Japan – India kept their AVC Men’s Volleyball Asian Championship campaign alive with a 3-0 victory over New Zealand, while hosts Japan secured top spot in Pool A with a straight-sets win over Australia.
India defeated New Zealand 25-22, 25-18, 25-21 to claim their first win of the tournament and remain in contention for one of the final quarterfinal places. Captain Jerome Vinith Charles led India with 19 points, while Chirag Yadav added 14 and Amit Balwan Singh contributed 13. New Zealand, meanwhile, were eliminated from quarterfinal contention.
India’s qualification hopes now depend on Wednesday’s Pool A match between Oman and Bahrain. An Oman three-point win would move them ahead of India, while a 3-0 Bahrain victory could leave progression to be decided by point ratio.
Japan ended the pool stage unbeaten after beating Australia 25-20, 25-13, 25-21 in front of around 6,500 home supporters. Yuji Nishida scored a match-high 16 points, with Ran Takahashi adding 13.
In Pool C, Korea swept Qatar 25-20, 25-19, 25-15 to finish with a 2-1 record and seven points. Jaeyoung Lim scored 15 points for Korea, while Qatar’s Mubarak Musa Thiik Madut led all scorers with 17.
