Volleyball: India women finish ninth at AVC Nations Cup

The Indian women's volleyball team ended their 2025 AVC Nations Cup campaign on a winning note, beating Mongolia 3-1 in the ninth-tenth place match on Saturday.

India staved off a spirited challenge from Mongolia in the first set, winning it 25-23 after being pushed to a brink. Mongolia, however, were not bogged down and continued to put pressure on the Indian team in the second team.

The Indians eventually crumbled 21-25. However, that was the only bright spot for Mongolia in what was otherwise a timid display.

Physically fitter and stronger than their counterpart, the Indian women's team tightened the screws in the third set to win it 25-18.

With a ninth-place finish just a set win away, India pocketed the fourth set 25-20 to wrap up the match in 1 hour and 51 minutes.

This event marked the inaugural edition under the tournament's new identity, having been rebranded from the AVC Women’s Challenge Cup. It also carried additional significance, as the winner would directly qualify for the 2026 Asian Women’s Volleyball Championship.

India was placed in Pool A alongside strong opponents such as hosts Vietnam, Australia, Chinese Taipei, and Hong Kong.

Their campaign began on June 8 with a tightly contested five-set loss to Hong Kong (2-3).

The team then faced Australia on June 9, going down 1-3, despite moments of promise.

On June 11, India took on Vietnam, who dominated the match and won 3–0. In their final group game on June 12, India lost 1-3 to Chinese Taipei.

With four consecutive losses, India finished last in Pool A, missing out on the quarterfinals and moving into the classification round for positions 9 to 11.

Despite the setbacks in the group stage, the Indian team regrouped well for the classification matches. They first faced New Zealand and delivered a solid all-round performance to win in straight sets.

This victory gave them a chance to play for ninth place against Mongolia.

The Indian squad was led by captain Anusree Kambrath Poyili, an outside hitter from Kerala known for her composure and attacking consistency.

Ayushi Bhandari, a 27-year-old opposite hitter from Himachal Pradesh, served as the vice-captain and provided much-needed experience in pressure situations.

The team was coached by Nilesh Matte from Maharashtra, who guided the young side through a challenging tournament with a focus on development and resilience.

The 14-member squad included liberos Sivapriya Govind and Anannya Das, setters Devika Devarajan and Amitha Keekoth, middle blockers Abitha Anilkumar, Anna Mathew, and Shilpa Sindhu, and hitters such as Shaalini Saravanan, Ezhilmathi Palanivel, Anagha Radhakrishnan, and Kavita.