India fail to reach QF in Asian Championship

Jakarta, Sep 3 (UNI) India failed to qualify for the quarter-finals of the 14th Asian Senior Men's Volleyball Championship despite blanking Kuwait 3-0 in a their last group encounter here.

In an one-sided Group D match yesterday, Indian spikers outclassed Kuwait 25-19, 25-22, 25-17. But this emphatic win was not enough for India to clinch a last eight berth as Australia made it to the next stage from their group with an unbeaten record in the championship.

The 27th-ranked Indian team finished second in their group, with a 2-1 record -- losing their first match to Australia, but winning the next two against Kazakhastan and Kuwait.

The other teams who have made it to the quarter-finals were hosts Indonesia, Thailand, Chinese Taipei, Iran, Korea, Japan and China.

They will be divided into two pools -- Pool E and Pool F -- and will play against each other in a round robin format.

UNI