El Jaish overwhelm Al Sadd, retain title

By Yash Mudgal/Doha

The army team played with considerable cohesion and firepower to win the match 25-18, 25-20, 25-21 with an all-court game against Sadd, who defeated new outfit Al Qiyada in the semi-finals.

Both the teams were handicapped by the absence of national team players as they are preparing for the GCC Championships, which will be held in Doha from November 20.

“I am happy with the winning start. We were missing some regular players but the boys played like a team and retained the cup,” said Jaish coach Adel Sennoun.

Former German Olympian Christian Pample, playing for Jaish for the first time, was once again the driving force for the champion side as he pulled off some superbly-executed kills. Pample had also played a crucial role in his team’s 3-2 victory over Al Arabi in the semi-finals.

“Pample played superbly throughout the tournament. He is an experienced player and I hope he would contribute mor e for us,” Sennoun said.

Jaish played a near-perfect first two sets with everyone contributing in equal measure.

Milosh was the most consistent player in the match. With minimum effort, he unleashed numerous winners and blocked well. Tariq and professional player Bojan Djokic were outstanding with their spikes.

It was only in the third set that Sadd made their presence felt. Quiet till then, Ramy Wadeed peaked in the third with his trademark dipping smashes as Sadd jumped to a 4-1 lead.

Sadd looked like showing some resistance when the teams were tied at 12-12 in the third set, but Jaish came back strongly, finishing the match 25-21 with some strong smashes from Pample and Milosh.

Commenting on his team’s preparations for the Qatar Volleyball League, Sennoun said: “We have a better team this time and hopefully will get two more experienced players before the start of the league. Last year we finished sixth, but it’s a good start for us this season and we hope to finish among the top four this time.”

Jaish’s local player Tariq said: “I am very happy with the team’s victory in the first tournament of the season. We have a very good team and I hope we will improve as the season progresses.”

“It was a good victory for the team. It’s a fine start for us, but I am more happy to see that the players are gelling well and I hope we will improve our performance and finish the season at a high,” Pample said.

“I have no hesitation in saying that the better team won today. They played a better game and we were not up to the mark,” said Sadd’s German coach George Stroumilo. “It is difficult for me to predict our team’s performance in the coming days as this was my first assignment with the team. I hope we will be able to put up a better show when we have the full team,” he added.