Hamamatsu, Japan, September 9, 2015 – Amir Ghafour steered Iran’s 3-1 (25-17, 21-25, 25-14, 25-20) triumph over Tunisia to earn their first victory in the first round of the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Cup at the Hamamatsu Arena on Wednesday.
Ghafour’s 24 points was built from 19 kills, three blocks and two service aces, while Marouen Garci led Tunisia with 21 points. Iran led Tunisia on all fronts with 49-42 attacks, 14-8 blocks, and 8-3 service aces.
Iran started with setter Mehdi Mahdavi to orchestrate their plays and successfully dished out sets that allowed his hitters to find the open court of Tunisia. Iran led with a 10-point margin before they advanced and clutched the third set 25-14. Iran led by only two markers in the fourth set but a successful challenge and a block by Tunisia levelled the score at 9-all. The Iranians got off the deadlock from good transition plays and stretched their lead 14-10 and powered their way to achieve a 25-20 win in the fourth set.