Serbia v-ballers defeat Iran

TEHRAN,June 22(MNA) - The Iranian volleyball team was defeated by Serbia in their very first World League home match on Friday at Azadi Hall in Tehran. In the hard-fought contest, debutant Iran lost the first two sets 26-24 and 25-23 but came from behind to level it 2-2 after taking the next two sets 25-17 and 25-14. The fifth set was nerve-wracking for both teams, but European champion Serbia’s experience helped them win it 18-16. Iran will play Serbia again on Sunday in the second and final game of the series. The two countries have played each other twice before, with Iran coming from behind to beat Serbia 3-2 in the 2011 World Cup in Tokyo, and Serbia winning 3-0 in the 2012 Olympic qualifying tournament in Nagoya. If Serbia wins its next game, it would be its fourth victory in six games, equaling its second best start since 2006, when it became the successor state of Serbia and Montenegro, which was itself the successor state of Yugoslavia. Serbia also won four of its first six in 2012, one win shy of its record from 2010. Following this weekend’s games, Iran will play Italy and Cuba away before returning home to host Germany. The top two teams from Pool B will qualify for the World League Finals in Argentina. In the other Pool B match, Russia defeated Italy 3-1 in Surgut, Russia.