Defending champions Club WAMCO have made a winning start to their Women’s Association Cup campaign, defeating Club MTCC in straight sets in their opening match of the tournament.
WAMCO secured a 3-0 victory at the Social Centre Indoor Court on Monday, beginning their title defence with a convincing performance against an MTCC side making its debut in the competition.
The five-time Association Cup champions controlled the opening stages of the match, taking both the first and second sets 25-14.
MTCC responded with a significantly stronger performance in the third set, pushing the defending champions into a closely fought finish.
With little separating the two teams, WAMCO’s more experienced players eventually made the difference as the champions edged MTCC 28-26 to complete the straight-sets win.
The victory gives WAMCO an encouraging start in Pool B as the club looks to add another title to its strong record in the competition.
Changes to WAMCO squad
WAMCO entered this year’s tournament with another strong squad, although there have been some notable changes from its previous lineup.
Nuha Ali, who has regularly played as WAMCO’s libero, is representing MTCC in this year’s competition alongside promising young player Maaya Hussain.
WAMCO brought in national team libero Maiha Ali for the tournament following Nuha’s move to the MTCC squad.
Despite the changes, the defending champions were able to rely on the experience within their team to secure all three sets in their opening fixture.
WAMCO have established themselves as one of the leading teams in the women’s competition, having previously lifted the Association Cup five times. Their latest campaign begins with the club seeking to successfully defend the title and further add to that record.
GG Sports also secure opening victory
WAMCO’s match was one of two Pool B fixtures played on Monday.
In the night’s other match, Good Games Sports Academy (GG Sports) also began its campaign with a straight-sets victory, defeating Raajjey Volleyball Club 3-0.
GG Sports won the opening set 25-14 before taking the second 25-20. They then produced their most dominant performance in the final set, winning 25-10 to close out the match.
The Women’s Association Cup continues with two further fixtures scheduled for Tuesday.
Huraa Community Club, who won their opening match against Police Club, will face Volleyball Youth New Generation in the afternoon fixture.
Police Club will then meet City Friends Club in Tuesday evening’s match.
The women’s tournament follows the conclusion of the Men’s Association Cup last month, where MTCC emerged as champions.
Organised by the Volleyball Association of Maldives (VAM), the Association Cup remains one of the country’s major domestic volleyball competitions, bringing together established clubs and emerging teams across the men’s and women’s divisions.
For WAMCO, Monday’s victory provides an ideal opening to another title challenge, with the defending champions dropping no sets in their first appearance of the campaign.
