Spikers off to winning start

Bangladesh got their title bid off to a winning start in the Bangabandhu Asian Central Zone Under 23 Men's Volleyball Championship with a 3-0 sets win over Nepal at the Suhrawardi Indoor Stadium yesterday.

The men in red and green beat Nepal in 26-24, 25-22 and 25-21 sets in front of a full house.

Al Amin, Sajib, Rakesh, Shafin, and Sujan made a good start in the first set to take a commanding 8-2 lead but the Himalayan boys staged a bold comeback to make it 15-14.

However, Aroji's changes provided impact from the bench for Bangladesh as they clinched the first set in a hard-fought 26-24.

But Nepal dominated Bangladesh straight from the outset in the second set taking an 8-3 lead at one stage but in a game of comebacks, Al Amin-led Bangladesh dug deep and managed to level it at 10-10 before the hosts eventually won the set 25-22. In the third set, an improved performance saw Bangladesh lead halfway into the set as they managed to hold their own after that, winning the set 25-21.

Bangladesh will play their second match against Kyrgyzstan today while Nepal take on Sri Lanka.