Western Region ´A´ and Nepal APF Club ´A´ also joined the NPC teams in the last four of the tournament.[break]
NPC ´A´ will take on Western ´A´ in the semifinal while NPC ´B´ will lock horns with APF ´A´ on Thursday.
NPC ´A´, which comprises veteran Neeta Shah and Chuda Khadka, is taken as a title favorite as the duo has won bronze medal in the South Asian Beach Volleyball Championship in the past, and on Wednesday they showed why.
NPC ´A´ defeated Western Region ´B´ 21-17, 21-14.
Although the pair of Pariksha Gurung and Aruna Shahi lost to Shah and Khadka, Manju Gurung and Sipora Gurung brought smiles to the Western Region fans. Western Region ´A´ that comprises the Gurung duo eased past Nepal PLA Club ´B´ 21-11, 21-6 in the quarterfinal match.
The easy victory has boosted the Gurung duo´s morale and Manju Gurung is targeting a victory over NPC in the semifinal. "It would be a tough match but we now can expect to defeat the experienced pair of NPC ´A´,” said the national player.
Her partner Sipora Gurung was still uncomfortable with the artificial beach court. "Covering the court is a tough job in beach volleyball. Every time we anticipated the ball we could not reach it as we got stuck in the sand," Sipora said. "We are getting tired unnaturally here," she added.
NPC´s Neeta, on the other hand, is not taking the Western team lightly. "We can´t take any match easily. It all depends on the condition. The extreme heat could cause problems," said a skeptical Shah.
NPC ´B´, comprising Sushila Thapa and Parvati Aryal, gave double delight to the club defeating APF ´B´ 21-11, 21-19 but they were made to work hard for victory. NPC stamped their authority on the match when they snatched victory in the second set from the hands of APF recovering from a 10-16 deficit to take the set 21-19.
NPC ´B´ will face ´APF ´A´, which earned a hard-fought victory over Central Region. Central Region won the first set 21-12 but lost its rhythm in the second and the third set. APF ´A´, which comprises Nima Shrestha and Binita Budhathoki, won the last two sets 21-17, 15-9 to stun the Central Region duo of Ramila Tandukar and Manisha Lama.
Disappointed with the loss, Tandukar later admitted lack of coordination with her partner in the last two sets cost them dear. "My partner was unable to support me as she had done in the first set," she complained.
Earlier, in the league matches, NPC ´B´ had defeated Eastern Region 21-11, 21-5, APF ´A´ beat Far Western Region 21-10, 21-10, Western Region ´A´ eased past Mid Western Region 21-4, 21-3 and Central Region struggled past PLA ´A´ 22-20, 21-12 to enter the quarterfinals.
The semifinal and final matches of the tournament, organized jointly by Nepal Volleyball Association Women´s Commission and Regional Hotel Association Nepal, Chitwan, will be played on Thursday.
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