New players gain experience as Nepal exits CAVA Women’s Volleyball without a medal

The CAVA Women’s Volleyball Championship began on May 22, 2026, the very day Nepal observes “National Volleyball Day”, and the Nepali women’s volleyball team had set its sights firmly on winning the title. Even if the title wasn’t possible, there was hope of finishing in the top three and claiming at least some medal.

But when the championship concluded on May 29, 2026, Nepal had failed even to make the top three. Defeated by India in the third-place match, Nepal ended up without a medal on its own home court. Nepal started the tournament with a loss to India in the very first game and ended it the same way, losing 3–1 in sets.

Nepal had been consistently winning at least some medal in CAVA competitions recently, making this the first time the team came away empty-handed. This left not just the team but Nepali volleyball fans and spectators feeling somewhat disheartened.

“Our performance was good, but we couldn’t achieve the medal we were hoping for. We couldn’t meet the expectations of Nepali volleyball fans. That can be upsetting,” says Nepal team head coach Jagdish Bhatta.

Nepal had finished third at the CAVA Women’s Challenge Cup held on home soil in 2023, and had come second at the CAVA Women’s Nations League in 2024. Before that, in 2019 and 2022, Nepal had won the AVC Asian Senior Women’s Central Zone Volleyball championship in Bangladesh without losing a single match. At the 13th South Asian Games held in Nepal in 2019, the women’s team had won the silver medal.

Nepal’s U-20 women’s team had also recently won bronze and silver medals in CAVA junior competitions. But this time, Nepal could not win a medal even on home court.

Ranked in the world but disappointing results

The tournament also held special significance as it was recognised by FIVB (the world’s top volleyball body) for world ranking points. Entering the FIVB rankings after the very first match, ranking ahead of India, and hosting the first-ever FIVB world-ranking-recognised tournament in Nepal, these were all joyful moments for Nepali volleyball. The Nepal Volleyball Association and CAVA both deserved praise for making it happen.

However, Nepal’s broader goals- performing impressively on home court, winning the title, climbing as high as possible in the rankings, and qualifying for the Asia Cup- could not be fulfilled.

Nepal played a total of 5 matches, winning 2 and losing 3. In this single tournament, Nepal lost to India twice. After losing a five-set thriller to India in the first game, Nepal lost 3–1 to India again in the third-place playoff.

Nepal could only beat Kyrgyzstan and Maldives (both in straight sets). Meanwhile, Iran, whom Nepal had beaten in Kathmandu just two years earlier, this time defeated Nepal comfortably in straight sets.

Head coach Bhatt said that although he had targeted beating India to win bronze, some mistakes prevented that from happening.

“We had hoped for third place. We planned to attack as much as possible. But there were service mistakes. Silly mistakes. Mistakes at crucial moments,” he says to Onlinekhabar.

Bhatta noted that Nepal had played well against India but couldn’t get the result. “We played very well. India also played very well today. Actually, we should have won the opening game. We should have won the second set. One player got injured. At 23–24, the pressure caused a service error; I think that’s where we fell short. Both teams competed neck to neck. In terms of the game, it was a good one.”

In the 8-team tournament, Iran went through undefeated to win the title; Kazakhstan came second, India took third, and Nepal finished fourth. After its first match, Nepal entered the FIVB rankings at 62nd, then climbed to 58th, then 56th, before settling at 61st at the end.

Six players debuted

With six new players included in the squad and Niruta Thagunna appointed as the new captain, this tournament ended up being less about winning titles or medals and more about learning, gaining experience against stronger teams, and giving exposure to new players.

All six players who debuted for the national team for the first time did so from the senior team, a positive development. Meena Sunar, Sunita Khatri, Salina Budha Magar, Jasna Mahato, and Basanti Saudi debuted against India in the first match, while Elisha Manandhar debuted against Maldives. Spiker Meena and middle blocker Sunita were given consistent opportunities after strong early performances.

Head coach Bhatta said that new players hadn’t received many opportunities yet, and that those who performed well during games were given more chances. He highlighted 17-year-old Meena’s strong showing.

“In the game, you play whoever is performing. Meena performed well as expected. She was a bit weak in defence and service. But the confidence she showed on her very first senior team debut suggests she’ll perform well in the near future,” he says.

Bhatta emphasised that junior players need regular training and exposure.

“If junior players get regular training and experience, that’s great. If they keep playing and getting exposure, this Nepali team will do well in the future.”

While the new players showed promise in their first international tournament, the performances of experienced and senior players were not quite what was expected. Middle blocker Sumitra Regmi, who debuted two years ago, had one of Nepal’s better performances in the tournament.

Lessons from stronger teams

In this CAVA tournament, three of Nepal’s five opponents, Iran, Kazakhstan, and India, regularly compete at higher levels of Asian volleyball, beyond CAVA events.

Of these, Nepal has rarely had the chance to play against Iran and Kazakhstan (apart from India). Coach Bhatta acknowledged that the teams visiting Nepal this time were of a much higher calibre, and that gaining experience by facing them was a positive, regardless of results.

“Right now we are playing against very high-level teams. Today’s team is much better than before. Most of the participating teams, except one or two, are of a high standard,” Bhatta says. “Playing against stronger teams is more valuable than beating weaker ones. We will improve on this going forward.”

Against India, Nepal has won just 1 out of 12 matches played so far. Against Iran, Nepal has 1 win and 2 losses from 3 matches. Nepal has not been able to beat Kazakhstan.

Nepal has no immediate international competition coming up. However, the Nepal Volleyball Association has confirmed that Nepal will participate in the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, in September 2026.

With several months remaining before the Asian Games, coach Bhatt believes a well-laid plan can lead to a better performance than this time.

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