Some thrilling volleyball actions unfolded in Colombo with some unmatched spikes, blocks and digs as the semifinals of the 2nd CAVA Women’s U19 Volleyball Championship 2025 took place at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium. After beating the defending champions, Kyrgyzstan, after a tense preliminary round game, the Sri Lankan girls came to the crucial game with a positive mind. But Kyrgyzstan put in a fine effort and came up with a particular performance to shatter the hopes of the hosts. In the other semifinal, the Nepali girls who executed a highly technical play managed to outclass the Maldives outfit, who were yet to post any victory.
Sri Lanka vs Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan began the game well by taking the first point with a thundering spike shot across the court. Then the visitors managed to extend the lead with three straight points until they made an error while serving for the fourth consecutive time. Then Sri Lanka displayed some better performance and closed the gap while the scoring read 05 – 04. Then again, Kyrgyzstan scored some consecutive points; hence, the Sri Lankan coach opted for a time-out when the scores were 08 – 12 points. The decision immediately paid off as Sri Lanka managed to equal the score at 14 all. Then, Kyrgyzstan managed to get a slight lead, but the spirited Sri Lankan lasses managed to level the score at 21 all. Sri Lanka executed their attack well and earned the first set point. But then onwards Kyrgyzstan took three straight points to win the set. (Kyrgyzstan 26 – 24 Sri Lanka)
>>CAVA U-19 Women’s Volleyball Championship 2025 set to begin in Colombo<<
Sri Lanka got the first point of the second set from a misjudged shot by the visitors. Then onwards, the hosts accumulated three straight points with a good passage of play. But the strong Kyrgyzstan outfit came back in no time to get the lead. When the visitors led 11-09 points, Sri Lanka opted for a time-out. But the time-out couldn’t put the brakes on Kyrgyzstan as they went on to win the set by keeping a 3-4 point lead all the way. In this way, the visitors built a lead of eight points, and suddenly the hosts cut it down to just four points, and this time Kyrgyzstan went for a time-out. But Sri Lanka gradually closed the gap, and when Kyrgyzstan led by just two points, they went for their second time-out. It worked well for the visitors, as Sri Lanka gifted the required two points with some silly mistakes. (Kyrgyzstan 25 – 21 Sri Lanka)
Sri Lanka took the first point in the crucial third set with a blistering spike shot that went across the Kyrgyz court. While Sri Lanka is leading by 02 – 00 points, Kyrgyzstan came into the party with six straight points by astonishing the hosts. Hence, Sri Lankan coaches decided to take a time-out to put some brakes on the visitor’s scoring. Later Sri Lanka cut the deficit to just three points, and without taking a further risk, Kyrgyzstan went for a time-out. The time-out worked for the visitors, as Sri Lanka made some mistakes by giving a seven-point lead to Kyrgyzstan. Though Sri Lanka opted for a time-out in the crucial juncture of the game, high-riding Kyrgyzstan kept continuously pressuring the hosts and went on to win the set and the game with a tremendous performance. (Kyrgyzstan 25 – 15 Sri Lanka)
>>CAVA U19 Volleyball; Crucial errors lead Sri Lanka to their first defeat<<
During the game, the tall Kyrgyzstan ladies made full use of their height advantage in both attack and defence, and their continuous pressure destroyed the plans of the hosts. Hence, they managed to keep the striking players of Sri Lanka at bay by executing their game plan. Very similar to their performance against Nepal, Sri Lanka tended to make multiple mistakes when the pressure was applied with some blistering spikes and some good defensive work, costing them the game.
Nepal vs Maldives
In the second semifinal of the day, the relatively less experienced Maldives side faced a tough challenge from the high-riding Nepal side. Nepal managed to get the first point of the game from a cover-out shot. Without conceding any point, Nepal accumulated six points by applying early pressure on their opponent. Though Maldives took a few points, Nepal was cruising to a victory, and they reached the set point when the score read as 24 – 07. The Maldives displayed some resistance by getting four straight points, but that wasn’t enough for a comeback. (Nepal 25 – 11 Maldives)
Nepal started the second with a strong statement that was given through a thundering spike shot by astonishing the Maldives defence. Then Nepal executed a magical performance by getting 17 points before the first scoring chance of the Maldives. But the points rally of Nepal never stopped, and they managed to clinch the second set without any sort of trouble. (Nepal 25 – 03 Maldives)
There was another thundering spike across the court when Nepal scored their first point of the third set. Here also the Maldives girls failed to resist against the highly technical and tactical play of the Nepal lasses. Nepal accumulated 11 points before the first score of their opposition, displaying that the game is nothing more than a dead rubber. Nepal went on to win the third and final set with ease, earning their ticket in the coveted final. (Nepal 25 – 05 Maldives)
After a tough and thrilling battle against the hosts, Kyrgyzstan managed to win their ticket to the finals, while Nepal walked into the same battle with a thumping victory over the less experienced Maldives outfit. During the third-place game the hosts will confront the neighbouring Maldives.
