GDANSK, Poland, July 8 (Xinhua) -- Iran men's volleyball team continued the momentum after beating hosts Poland to trounce Slovenia in straight sets 26-24, 25-14, 25-21 in FIVB Volleyball Nations League in Gdansk, Poland on Friday.
Iran's Amin Esmeaeilnezhad scored a team high 14 points, while Milad Ebadipour added 12. Klemen Cebulj delivered 11 points for Slovenia.
Mark Lebedev's players were the demanding opponents for Iran just in the opening set before Behrouz Ataei's side took full control of the game.
Iran took an upper hand in every crucial area including attacks (37-27), blocks (6-5) and aces (6-4). In the final set, they built a comfortable advantage 17-13 to close the game in three sets.
Bulgaria overcame a set down to beat the Netherlands 22-25, 25-16, 25-21, 25-21. Martin Atanasov set a match best for the winner with 20 points. On the other side of the net Nimir Abdel-Aziz was the most prolific player of the Netherlands with 20 points but his effectiveness allowed the team to win just the opening set.
In the last matchup of the day, Italy outplayed Serbia in three sets 25-21, 25-14, 25-23.
On Saturday, China will face Bulgaria, Iran will battle against Serbia, while Poland will host the Netherlands. ■
