Dhivehi Sifainge Club, the volleyball side of the Maldives National Defence Force, have been crowned champions of the National Volleyball League Division 1 after defeating Club HDC 3-1 in their final match.
Minister of Youth Empowerment, Sports and Fitness Abdulla Rafiu presented the trophy and winner medals to the team. The result confirmed Sifainge’s place at the top of the league table with 12 points from the round-robin fixtures involving five clubs.
In the decisive match, HDC took the opening set 26-24. Sifainge responded by winning the next three sets 16-25, 24-26 and 21-25. Private Hussain Razaan of Sifainge was named man of the match for a strong all-round display.
Earlier in the league, Sifainge had recorded straight-set wins over Lions Recreation Club and Police Club, and a 3-1 victory against Club MTCC. Police finished second on the table, HDC third, MTCC fourth and Lions fifth without a point.
League awards recognised Razaan as the best player overall, a foreign player from Sifainge as the top import, Police’s Ahmed Ilham Ali as the most promising under-21 player, and Sifainge coach Junaid Abdulla as coach of the tournament. The dream team included several Sifainge players alongside representatives from Police and HDC.
The top four teams from the league advance to the national championship. Sifainge’s success continues a strong run in domestic volleyball competitions organised under the Volleyball Association of Maldives.
