For the first time in their history, Shahdab Yazd won the Iranian Men’s Volleyball Championship, doing so in the 35th season of the competition.
Shahdab defeated Paykan 3-1 (25-19, 23-25, 25-17, 25-18) in the 2nd match of the 2021/22 Men’s Super League playoff finals in Tehran, claiming the title for the first time in the club’s history. Shahdab, commanded by Alireza Tolookian with only two well-known names on their squad (Mehdi Mahdavi and Argentine Federico Pereyra), had defeated the country’s powerhouse 3-0 in Game 1. The final matches were held on a best-of-3 format, and it has to be said that both sides, even though Paykan is the record titleholder (12 titles), entered the battle for trophy unexpectedly given that Shahdab was 3rd-seed and Paykan the 4th-seed.
Last year’s champions Foolad Sirjan took the bronze medal, being eliminated in the semi-finals to the new holders. Both Shahdab and Paykan will represent Iran at the 22nd edition of the Asian Club Championship, to be held in Tehran.
