AVC Volleyball Continental Championship: India loses to host Japan in straight sets in quarterfinals

For India, captain and opposite spiker C. Jerome Vinith (yellow jersey, centre) contributed the most with 11 points while outside hitter Chirag Yadav scored six points.  | Photo Credit: VOLLEYBALL WORLD/SCREENGRAB

India went down in straight sets to host Japan in the quarterfinals of the AVC Men’s Volleyball Continental Championship in Fukuoka on Friday.

Reigning champion Japan beat India 3-0 (25-17, 25-15, 25-19) to reach the last-four stage for the seventh edition in a row.

Outside hitter Ran Takahashi (14 points), opposite spiker Yuji Nishida (12), skipper Yuki Ishikawa (12), who is also an outside hitter, and middle blocker Larry Evbade-Dan (9) did the bulk of the scoring for the 10-time champion in front of a packed house at the Kitakyushu City General Gymnasium.

For India, captain and opposite spiker C. Jerome Vinith contributed the most with 11 points while outside hitter Chirag Yadav scored six points.

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Dragan Mihailovic-coached side’s had reached the last-eight stage of the tournament for the first time since 2019 after its win over New Zealand in its last Pool B match, combined with Oman’s defeat to Bahrain in its final group game ensured its place in the quarterfinals.

Despite defeats to Iran and China in its first two Pool games, India’s sole win allowed it to finish in eighth place in the combined rankings of the preliminary phase.

India will next be in action at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.