TEHRAN - Iranian volleyball expert Mostafa Karkhaneh hailed the performance of the Iran national team in the 2022 Volleyball Nations League (VNL).

In a challenging and exciting game, brave Iran lost to Poland 3-2 (25-21, 24-26, 25-18, 16-25, 15-7) in the 2022 VNL quarterfinals Thursday night.

“Iran did a great job,” said Karkhaneh in his interview with Tehran Times. “The team’s quality was between 50 to 60 percent, but the result was between 80 to 90 percent. I mean, considering the changes that occurred in the squad and the injuries of some players, we had a team with 50 to 60 percent of their full potential,” he added.

“The golden generation of the Iranian volleyball is gone, and some players like Aliasghar Mojarad, Javad Karimi, and Meysam Salehi missed the tournament due to injuries and other problems.

“However, the new players were fantastic and did a great job during the 13 difficult matches of the tournament.

“Week by Week and game by game, the players got better. They continued upward trend in their performance.

“Both in terms of technical qualities and tactical skills, they played beyond expectations and performed extremely well,” added the former coach of the Iran national team.

Amin Esmaeilnezhad produced an impressive 22-point match high in the quarterfinals against Poland, while Kamil Semeniuk registered 17 points for Poland.

The young Iranian team had defeated powerhouses Poland in their two previous matches in the 2020 Olympics and 2022 VNL Pool 6.

When asked about the Iran national volleyball team head coach Behrouz Ataei and his staff, Karkahneh said: “Mr. Ataei and his colleagues did a great job in coaching the team through difficult and tricking times of the matches. Even in complicated situations, Atai kept himself and his team calm and made the right decisions.

”In general, this success resulted from a collective effort and the coaching staff and the players played their key role in the success.

“In addition, our volleyball is rewarded for organized and fundamental work in the youth levels, and I think this process will continue in the coming years,” concluded Karkhaneh.