Bulgarian central blocker Iliya Petkov won first place at the strong international tournament in the NAS Sports Complex in Dubai, after the combined team of Cuneo and Grottazzolina won the final against YAAZAR's team with 3:2 (21:25, 14:25, 25:21, 25:20, 15:7).
The Italian team made an impressive comeback in the final match. After trailing 0:2 sets, the team found its rhythm in attack and on serve to turn the match around and triumph in the tie-break.
Petkov performed steadily at the net and finished the match with 7 points, making 3 blocks, and in attack, he finished with 78% success rate and 56% efficiency.
The first two sets were entirely under YAAZAR's control. The team dictated the tempo with strong serving and stable attack, leading to 25:21 and 25:14.
From the third set onwards, however, the combined squad of Cuneo and Grottazzolina gradually raised their level. Stable blocking and better organization in defense allowed the Italians to reduce the deficit after 25:21, and in the fourth set, they equalized the score after 25:20.
In the tie-break, the superiority of the winners was decisive. They took an early lead and closed the match with a convincing 15:7, which brought them the tournament trophy.
Top Scorers
| Team | Player | Points |
|---|---|---|
| ALTADAWI (Cuneo/Grottazzolina) | Nathan Ferral | 19 |
| ALTADAWI (Cuneo/Grottazzolina) | Lorenzo Codarin | 15 |
| ALTADAWI (Cuneo/Grottazzolina) | Michele Fedrizzi | 8 |
| ALTADAWI (Cuneo/Grottazzolina) | Ivan Zaytsev | 8 |
| ALTADAWI (Cuneo/Grottazzolina) | Iliya Petkov | 7 |
| YAAZAR | Hamza | 13 |
| YAAZAR | Refi | 12 |
| YAAZAR | Piotr | 11 |
After the end of the tournament, the question remains whether the team will be able to return to Italy without problems. The situation in the region is complicated due to the tension and military conflict between Iran and the USA, which creates some uncertainty around flights and logistics.
At the moment, the club has not provided official information about the return schedule.
