Al-Qadsiya player prepares to serve.

MANAMA, Feb 9: Al-Qadsiya Club's volleyball team suffered its third loss in the third West Asian Clubs Championship, currently taking place at Isa bin Rashid Hall in Riffa, Bahrain, which will conclude on the 18th of this month.

Al-Qadsiya was beaten by Al-Arabi of Qatar in the third round, losing 0-3. Earlier, it lost 0-3 to Al-Rayyan of Qatar, the defending champion of the last two editions, in the first round. In the second round, it was narrowly defeated by Al-Salam of Oman, 2-3, after initially leading in the first and second sets.

With these three losses, Al-Qadsiya has been eliminated from the title race, though they still have two remaining matches: one against the host team, Al-Ahli of Bahrain, the day after tomorrow, and another against Iraq's Northern Refineries next Saturday.

The tournament follows a single-round league format, with the team accumulating the most points being crowned champions. Teams are resting today, and the fourth round is set to take place tomorrow.

Al-Qadsiya player Abdul Nasser Al-Anzi reflected on the team's loss to Al-Salam, noting that it had led in the first two sets but faltered in the third and fourth, allowing its opponent to capitalize. He praised Al-Salam's level of play and vowed that the team would continue to fight in the remaining matches, despite losing its chance for the title.

Meanwhile, the ninth round matches, postponed from last Thursday due to a power outage at the Volleyball Federation Hall, will take place today. Burqan will face Al-Sahel at 5:00 pm, followed by Kazma's match against Al-Shabab at 7:00 pm.

By Khaled Al-Enezi

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff