Iran's Sarmayeh Bank out of 2017 FIVB Club World Championship

Iranian professional volleyball team Sarmayeh Bank has failed to book a spot in the semi-finals of the 2017 Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) Men's Club World Championship, slumping to a defeat from Associazione Sportiva Volley Lube of Italy.

On Thursday evening, the Italian team powered past the Iranian side with a convincing straight-set (26-24, 25-17 and 25-23) victory at the Hala Okrąglak in the southern Polish city of Opole.

“First of all, we are very happy to have been able to participate in this tournament. It was a very good experience for us. We played in a difficult group in comparison to the other group. Lube had (Osmany) Juantorena, a very useful player, who served very well, and we lost very closely in three sets. We didn't have any chance to qualify to the semi-finals in this match, but we tried to do our best, and lost only in set endings.

“Next year we're also going to represent Iran, and participation in this tournament will also be a great experience for us. We have to improve our attack and defense systems to be more successful. Next year in Poland we will be stronger and we will use the experience we gained here. I congratulate our opponent for having the best volleyball stars in your team, and we hope to see you play in the final,” Mostafa Karkhaneh, Sarmayeh Bank coach, said after the match.

Adel Gholami, Sarmayeh Bank middle blocker, said, “First, let me congratulate our opponents. It was a very good match. We gained a lot of experience. Although we lost, we fought Lube in every set.”

Giampaolo Medei, Cucine Lube Civitanova coach, said, “First, let me congratulate the Iranian team. They played a good match without two important players. They didn't have anything to gain in this match, but they played very aggressively.

“For me, it is not normal to be this aggressive in such a situation, so congratulations. This match was difficult for us, because we were a bit tired. My team played well, especially in set endings. We finished first in our group, which allowed us to gain winning mentality, and I hope we'll play in the semifinals with the same mentality, with the same mood.”

Sarmayeh Bank had fallen to a 0-3 (23-25, 20-25 and 22-25) loss from Brazilian professional volleyball team Sada Cruzeiro Vôlei the previous day, before being beaten by Poland’s ZAKSA Kędzierzyn-Koźle 2-3 (25-19, 25-20, 16-25, 29-31 and 15-17) in its opening match on December 12.

The 2017 FIVB Men's Club World Championship started on December 12, and will finish on December 17.