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ost team Bank SumselBabel defeated Qatari Ar Rayyan 25-23, 26-24, 25-16 in the eighth day of the Asian Men’s Club Volleyball Championships on Friday to set a showdown with team Chang of Thailand in the fight for rank fifth and sixth.

Bouncing back for a four point down, Bank SumselBabel leveled the score at 8-8 through several smashes of Ramzil Huda and Nur, and a blocking from Septio.

However the Qatar team, powered by three of it foreign players Sereno Ramon, Konstanti Cupkovic and Culafic Milos, continued the lead each point before the host leveled again at 23-23. Two failed smashes from Qatari Mory Sidibe and Hamid Adam Ali helped the host team end the game.

The drama continued after the break with both teams alternated in stealing the points, before Bank SumselBabel leveled the score at 15-15. Indonesia then lead the score 21-18 pushing Qatari coach Mohamed Bahri to replace Mory Sidibe with Culafic Milos. The replacement was effective as Qatari leveled the score at 23-23.  However, it was Milos’ two failed smashes that sealed the match at 26-24 for the Indonesian team.

Bank SumselBabel wasted no time putting pressure on Qatari from the beginning of the decisive match until it lead 16-9. The fast returns and frequent mistakes from the bullied Qatari helped the Indonesian team push the lead to 23-16. A failed receiver from Qatari and a failed smash from Milos sealed the set at 25-16.

Although the Indonesian team was unable to reach the top four, the result has been satisfactory. Whatever the result of Saturday’s match against the Thai club, the team has eclipsed the initial top eight target.

“The boys performed much better than previously, their passings and blockings seem to get better,” coach assistant Dadang Sudjarat said after the match.

Dadang promised better play for Saturday’s match as the team had met the Thailand team at several events.

Earlier in the day, the Thai team defeat PTSC of Vietnam 23-25, 25-16, 25-17, 25-18. The PTSC will meet Ar Rayyan to decide the seventh and eight rank, while one of Southeast Asian powerhouses, Myanmar, stood at rank nine after defeating Turkemenistan 27-29, 25-23, 29-31, 27-25, 15-9.

In 11th rank is Uzbektelcom of Uzbekistan that put Etisalat of Afghanistan in the bottom of the league after defeating Afghanistan 21-25, 25-22, 21-25, 2511, 15-11.

At the time of writing, the top four teams were still facing each other. Paykan of Iran was facing Tang Dynasty of China while Japan’s Sakai Blazer was facing Kazakhstan’s Almaty.