U15 national championships account for real Volleyball party in Armenia

The sports hall run by the Sevan Company in the city of Ashtarak recently played host to the 2021 edition of the Armenian U15 Volleyball national championships, with participation of six teams:

Girls: Ashtarak, Artsakh, Sisian, Avan, Yerevan national team, Geghashen

Boys: Sisian, Vanadzor, Nor-Nork, Arabkir, KhMOMM, Yerevan national team.

These young players had a truly special opportunity to show their progress in mastering the Volleyball game and provided the audience with some exciting matches to follow from the stands. As many as four teams were in contention for the title in the boys’ tournament, with Arabkir eventually emerging victorious as they beat Vanadzor 2-0 in the final match. The team from Armenia’s capital city, Yerevan, claimed the bronze medals after recording a 2-0 shutout of Team KhMOMM.

According to the observers, the girls’ competition was of an even higher quality. All the six participating teams came well prepared for the championship. The more experienced Avan team were the eventual gold medal winners, with Yerevan and Artsakh finishing the competition in second and third place, respectively.

The top three teams returned home with diplomas, medals and cups presented by VFA President Hrachya Muradyan, Ashtarak Sports Hall Director Armen Arakelyan and the coaches of the participating teams.

The prize for the best individual players went to:

Girls

1. Angelina Harutyunyan (Artsakh)
2. Arpine Yeprikyan (Yerevan national team)
3. Amalya Karapetyan (Ashtarak)
4. Inga Ghukasyan (Avan)

Boys

1. Armen Ghasaboghlyan (Arabkir)
2. Henrik Varderesyan (Vanadzor)
3. Artyom Hakobyan (Yerevan team)

The Volleyball Federation of Armenia presented the top three teams with sets of volleyballs; the Arabkir team received a volleyball net, with volleyballs going to Etchmiadzin and the Ashtarak Sports Hall too. The coaches of the two winning teams, Shoghik Balyan and Grigory Ambaryan, received some special mementos in recognition of their accomplishments at the tournament.

The parents of the students attending the Ashtarak sports school handed over a cake with the symbol of the championship to the VFA. It was the first time such an event took place in Ashtarak. The experience was truly excellent and the local organisers plus the representatives of the Volleyball Federation of Armenia agreed that the 2022 age-group championships would be taking place in the same complex as well. Volleyball has returned to Ashtarak after some years also with the help of the School Project initiated by the CEV and implemented nationwide with much success by the Volleyball Federation of Armenia.