Players vie for the ball during the West Asia Volleyball Championship.

KUWAIT CITY, Feb 11: The semifinals of the 4th West Asia Clubs Volleyball Championship kick off today at the Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Sports Complex Hall. The tournament, hosted by Kuwait Club, runs through February 14.

In the first semifinal at 3:00 p.m., hosts Kuwait Club will face defending champion Al-Rayyan of Qatar. The second semifinal, at 6:00 p.m., features a Bahraini derby on Kuwaiti soil between Dar Kulaib and Al-Ahli.

In the quarterfinals, Kuwait Club earned a 3-1 victory over Oman’s Al-Seeb (25-22, 26-24, 23-25, 25-19). Al-Rayyan claimed a 3-0 win against Al-Wakrah in the all-Qatari clash, while Al-Ahli of Bahrain defeated Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ittihad by the same score. Dar Kulaib also advanced with a 3-0 victory over Iraq’s South Gas.

Under the tournament format, the top two teams from each group qualify for the quarterfinals, along with the two best third-placed teams from the three groups.

By Khaled Al-Enezi

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff