SIBU: Sarawak Senior men’s and women’s volleyball teams have advanced to the semi-finals of the Sarawak International Volleyball Invitational (SIVI) 2025, following strong showings in their respective group stages.
The Sarawak Senior men’s team will face Sarawak Junior in an all-Sarawak semi-final clash on Saturday (Aug 2) – having swept through the group stage with three straight wins.
They opened with a straight-set win over Hong Kong’s Green Dragon VC (25-17, 25-20, 25-22), followed by another 3-0 triumph against Sarawak Junior (25-13, 25-19, 25-21) on day two. They closed their group campaign in commanding fashion, defeating Miri 3-0 (25-7, 25-10, 25-21) yesterday.
Meanwhile, Sarawak Junior delivered a gutsy run to the semis despite a loss to their senior counterparts and Thailand’s Diamond Food. They notched a hard-fought 3-2 win over Green Dragon VC (22-25, 25-21, 25-19, 18-25, 15-9), and edged Miri in a five-set thriller (25-19, 19-25, 25-22, 20-25, 15-7).
Miri wrapped up their campaign with a spirited but unsuccessful outing, losing narrowly to Sarawak Junior and later falling to Sarawak Senior in straight sets (7-25, 10-25, 21-25).
Sarawak Senior women’s team also progressed to the semi-finals, where they are set to take on Mongolia’s Hobby Ace Volleyball Club here today aswell.
They began their campaign with a confident 3-1 victory over Taipei Municipal Nanhu High School (25-15, 25-19, 19-25, 25-18), showcasing poise and consistency. However, they were handed a 1-3 defeat yesterday by Thailand’s Thanyaburi VC (25-21, 10-25, 23-25, 13-25).
On the other hand, the Sarawak Junior women’s team failed to qualify for the semi-finals after back-to-back losses — a 1-3 result against Thailand’s Sarakham and a 0-3 defeat to Hobby Ace.
Despite the setbacks, the Junior women’s squad earned praise for their resilience and flashes of potential throughout the tournament.
The semi-finals promise intense matchups as Sarawak’s senior teams aim for a home-soil finish in both the men’s and women’s divisions.
