October 1, Butwal – Departmental team Nepal Police Club, Khaira Volleyball Club Punjab, and Sabhapokhari Volleyball Club have secured their places in the semifinals of the 2nd Madan Bhandari Cup International Invitational Running Shield Men’s Volleyball Tournament. On Wednesday, in the final group ‘A’ match held at the Butwal International Conference Center, Police defeated Manimukunda Volleyball Club 3–2 in sets, confirming their spot among the last four teams. Police won the challenging match with set scores of 25–20, 23–25, 25–20, 18–25, and 15–12.
With this third consecutive victory, Police emerged as the group winner. From the same group, Khaira Volleyball Club Punjab advanced to the semifinals as runners-up by defeating Sri Lanka Police Club 3–1 in sets. Khaira demonstrated a strong performance with set scores of 25–20, 25–20, 19–25, and 25–17. Following these results, Manimukunda and Sri Lanka Police were eliminated from the competition.
In group ‘B,’ Sabhapokhari Volleyball Club secured their semifinal berth by achieving their second consecutive victory. By utilizing a roster mostly comprised of Indian players, Sabhapokhari defeated APF Club 3–1 in sets, winning 24–26, 25–19, 25–20, and 20–11 respectively. The final match scheduled for Thursday was left unfinished due to floodlight failure. The league phase encounter between APF and Gujarat Sporting Club was halted by mutual agreement when the set score stood at 1–1. Both teams have agreed to complete the remaining part of the match on Friday, after which the final semifinalist will be determined. The semifinal matches are also slated for Friday.
Organized by the Madan Bhandari Sports Academy, this tournament features a total of seven teams—four from Nepal and three international squads. Running through October 3, the tournament winner will receive a Running Shield along with a prize of NPR 700,000. The runner-up will be awarded NPR 350,000, while the third-place team will earn NPR 175,000 and a consolation prize of NPR 75,000. Additionally, cups, medals, and certificates will be presented, according to Academy Chairman Dhruv Acharya.
The best player of the tournament will receive NPR 15,000, while the best spiker, setter, server, blocker, defender, and best coach will each be awarded NPR 8,000.
