Iraq volleyball team loses West Asian semifinal to Qatar, eyes bronze

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraq's national volleyball team was eliminated from the West Asian Championship semifinals after a straight-sets defeat to Qatar, 25-18, 25-16, 29-27. Iraqi Volleyball Federation President Habib Ali al-Lawandi said the team will play for the bronze medal against the loser of the Jordan-Kuwait match. He described the squad's overall performance as commendable, noting that Qatar was the defending champion from the previous edition of the tournament. In the group stage, Iraq finished second in Group B, beating Saudi Arabia 3-1 and Lebanon 3-0 before falling 3-0 to host Oman. The team, which shared the group with Oman, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia, secured its semifinal berth after two consecutive wins. Iraq will now aim for a bronze-medal finish in the tournament's next round.