Egypt coach lauds players but 'job is not done'

With the Asian and African Championships ahead, the winners of Sheikh Rashid International Volleball tournament is not resting on their laurels yet.

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DUBAI // Sherif Hamdy, the Egypt coach, says the Sheikh Rashid International Volleyball tournament has put their African Men's Championship title defence on track after the difficult times at home.

Egypt have won the African title on three consecutive occasions, and will return to defend their crown in Tangiers, Morocco, from September 22 with their confidence high following their triumph in the Dubai tournament, which included tough sides, such as China and Australia.

"The players have done a really great job," Hamdy said after finishing the tournament unbeaten, beating Pakistan 25-18, 25-21, 25-19 in their final match last night.

"In this tournament, we have tried our best to return to our levels, but we are still not fully there. The job is not done, and we have to continue this preparation."

He added: "This tournament was fantastic. I was able to try some of the second team players here, and now I have a good idea about all the players. It helps me in choosing the best 12 players."

Australia were runners-up behind Egypt, beating China 25-22, 21-25, 22-25, 28-26, 15-13 in their final game to take second spot.

The UAE finished without a win in the tournament, losing 25-13, 25-18, 25-23 to Iran in their final match. The team will reassemble in the coming days to prepare for the Gulf Games in Bahrain next month.

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