DUBAI — The UAE retained the GCC Women's Volleyball crown, while Bahrain emerged runner-up at the second championships, which concluded at Al-Wasl Club's indoor hall here Monday. The UAE won the title with eight points, winning all its four matches without dropping a set. It captured a 3-0 (25-7, 25-7, 25-11) victory over Oman, which had to contend with the third spot, following the tournament's concluding game. The host had earlier started off with a 3-0 win over Qatar, defeated Bahrain by the same scoreline the following day and followed it up with a 3-0 hammering of Kuwait. The UAE headed into the event as favorite following its victory in the first edition of the competition which was held in Kuwait two years ago. A 3-1 win over Kuwait helped Bahrain secure the second spot with seven points from four matches. Coached by national tactician Abdul Jalil Ahmed, Bahrain started its campaign with a 0-3 (17-25, 19-25, 16-25) defeat at the hands of the host the UAE. However, Ahmed's squad was back in business with three successive victories, the first of which was a 3-0 (25-18, 25-23, 25-15) win over Oman. The Bahrainis edged Qatar 3-0 (26-24, 25-21, 25-21) for their second straight win. Ahmed was pleased with the performance of his team in the competition. “This is a young team and I think we will improve if we put in the right amount of work in the future,” he confided. “We have a good setter, but we have a libero who can see with only one eye, but overall the girls are proud of their achievement,” added Ahmed. “Once we return, we will start working on our flaws and we can only get better. You will see a completely different Bahrain team at the Third GCC Women's Sports Games that will be held in Manama in March”. The UAE skipper, Fatima Hassan, led the host from the front winning the Most Valuable Player award to hand the UAE the coveted crown at the end of the week-long championship. There was more joy for the host as Asma Ahmed was awarded the Best Receiver honors, while teammate Mona Abbas was given the Best Setter prize. Saudi Arabia was the only team missing from the six-member countries bloc belonging to the Gulf region. The General Authority of Youth and Sports Welfare Secretary-General, Ebrahim Abdul Malik, presented the winners with the medals in the presence of Secretary General, Dubai Sports Council Secretary General, Dr. Ahmed Al-Sharif, and President of the UAE Volleyball Association Yousef Al-Mulla. The second GCC Women's Volleyball Championship was organized by the UAE Volleyball Association in association with the Dubai Sports Council. It was held under the patronage of Dubai Crown Prince and Dubai Sports Council chairman Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum.
