Skipper Fatima Hassan led from the front winning the most valuable player award to hand UAE the coveted crown at the end of the 2nd GCC Women’s Volleyball Championships that concluded at Al Wasl Club’s indoor hall on Monday.
The UAE captain was in sublime form at the net and then in the defence as they easily beat Oman 3-0 (25-7, 25-7, 25-11) on the final day as the hosts ended with an unbeaten record at the end of this week-long competition.
Bahrain secured the second place with a 3-1 victory over Kuwait while Oman had to contend with the third spot.
There was more joy for the hosts as lively Asma Ahmed was awarded the best receiver while teammate Mona Abbas was given the best setter prize.
Ebrahim Abdul Malik, Secretary-General, General Authority of Youth and Sports Welfare presented the winners with their medals in the presence of Dr. Ahmed Al Sharif, Secretary General, Dubai Sports Council, and Yousef Al Mulla, President of UAE Volleyball Association.
The UAE were the defending champions and they fared comfortably well in this championships while winning all four matches without dropping a set.
The hosts started off with a 3-0 win over Qatar, defeated Bahrain by the same scoreline the following day and followed this up with a 3-0 hammering of Kuwait and finally sunk neighbours Oman to successfully defend their title without too much of a fuss.
Saudi Arabia was the only team missing from the six-member countries belonging to the Gulf region during the second edition of this competition.
The championships was held under the patronage of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Sports Council.