By Sachit Subba • Volleyball • Sep 05, 2026 16:38 PM • 40 views
In the first Nepal Volleyball League, Sagarmatha Smashers took an early lead with their second straight decisive win. At the same time, Kathmandu Reds opened with a hard-fought five-set victory over Madhesh Warriors on Saturday.
The competition at the National Sports Council's hall in Tripureshwor was intense right from the first serve of the morning. The Kathmandu Reds, making their tournament debut in the early match, immediately entered into a physical battle with the Madhesh Warriors. Desperate to make up for their first-day loss, the Madhesh Warriors attacked with great intensity and won the first set 25 to 20, threatening an early upset.
Kathmandu stayed calm. They strengthened their defensive blocks and answered Madhesh point by point in a closely contested second set. The score passed the usual 25-point threshold, and Kathmandu won 26 to 24 to level the match. This shift disturbed Madhesh's rhythm. Kathmandu then dominated the third set, winning 25 to 17 and moving one set away from victory.
With their second straight loss during the weekend, Madhesh redoubled their efforts. In the fourth set, they broke through Kathmandu's defence and won 25 to 22, forcing a deciding fifth set. The final set tested both teams' endurance, with points changing hands quickly until Kathmandu won the last points and secured the match 16 to 14, a hard-fought three-sets-to-two victory. For Madhesh, the defeat added to the difficulties they had faced from the start after losing their first match on Friday by three sets to one against the Sagarmatha Smashers.
On Saturday in the late match, Sagarmatha appeared completely undisturbed. In their match against the Khaptad Falcons, the Smashers carried out a very effective game plan and won in straight sets, taking all three sets to zero. Sagarmatha controlled the pace of the game and won the first two sets by the same score, 25 to 18. In the last set, they kept up their attacking pressure and completed the three-set sweep with a score of 25 to 19. These two successive strong performances have now firmly established the Smashers as the leading contenders.
Anyone keeping an eye on the early tournament rankings will soon see that the format leaves no scope for mistakes. The six teams are taking part in a rapid, single-round robin system. The team that finishes at the top of the league table will earn a direct place in the grand final, while those who come second and third in the group stage will have to win a high-stakes playoff if they are to secure the final championship position.
By winning decisively on two separate days, the Sagarmatha Smashers have put great pressure on the other teams. Although the Kathmandu Reds showed great resilience in their first match, the Madhesh Warriors must now deliver perfectly executed performances if they want to keep their chances of reaching the playoffs.
