The Iranian national team ended its streak of six consecutive losses in the Volleyball Nations League. In their last match of the tournament in Orleans, Roberto Piazza's team defeated Cuba 3:1 (25:22, 25:21, 20:25, 30:28) and recorded only their second victory of the season.
The success also brought valuable points for the world ranking. Iran added 7.37 points to their tally, climbing one position to 16th place with 212.45 points, while Cuba lost the same points and dropped to 20th position with 195.43 points.
The first two sets were controlled by the Iranians, who showed stability in the most crucial moments and took a 2:0 lead. The Cubans reacted with more aggressive play in the third set and reduced the deficit after a 25:20 win.
The fourth set offered the greatest drama. Cuba was close several times to forcing a tie-break, but Iran showed stronger nerves in the decisive rallies and closed out the match with a 30:28 score.
Interestingly, despite the loss, Cuba outperformed their opponent in attack (59 vs 56 points), blocks (8 vs 5), and reception (85 vs 74). Iran, however, compensated with stronger serves (7 aces vs 4) and, most importantly, capitalized maximally on their opponent's errors, scoring 32 points from Cuban errors against 25 for Cuba.
Hajji was the top scorer for the winners with 20 points, and Hagparast added 15. For Cuba, Marlon Yant finished with 23 points, and Masso scored 17.
| Statistic | Iran | Cuba |
|---|---|---|
| Attack | 56 | 59 |
| Blocks | 5 | 8 |
| Aces | 7 | 4 |
| Points from opponent's errors | 32 | 25 |
| Total points | 100 | 96 |
| Digs | 59 | 51 |
| Reception | 74 | 85 |
The individual statistics clearly show why Iran achieved success. Although they were inferior in attack, block, and reception, the team was significantly more effective from the serve and punished every inaccuracy of their opponent. The 32 points, which came from Cuba's errors, proved to be the decisive factor for the final outcome of the match.
Image:volleyballworld.com
