Praful and Suon Channaro of Svay Rieng leap to block a spike from a Visakha player. Volleyball federation
The Svay Rieng Provincial Police team has become an underdog sensation in the second round of the 2025 Techo Volleyball Cambodia League (TVCL), defeating several strong teams to lead the Group 2 standings.
Although the squad ranked 5th in their group after round one, with three wins and four losses, they have massively improved their efforts in round two.
They have defeated defending champions Bodyguard Headquarters, last year's runners-up Visakha, and the 3rd Intervention Brigade team, each by a 3-0 scoreline.
Their standout team members were Indian players R. Ashwal and S. Praful, both of whom have displayed exceptional attacking and defensive abilities.
Ashwal, wearing jersey number 11, and Praful, in jersey 7, have shown top-notch skills in the second round of the league.
Notably, Ashwal was named best player in all three recent victories against Bodyguard Headquarters, 3rd Intervention Brigade and Visakha, which highlights his remarkable performance.
Cuban player Herrera Cabrera has also been a crucial part of the team. The three foreigners have made a huge impact on the team, under the expert leadership of former national team setter Soun Channaro.
The Bodyguard Headquarters (in red) take on the Ministry of Interior at the National Olympic Stadium on Sunday. Volleyball federation
Channaro, former first setter of the Visakha team, noted that despite the solid performances of Ashwal and Praful, both he and his teammates are still working to adapt their playstyle to fully gel with the Indian players.
They have only played together for 5 or 6 games, and thus there is still room for further improvement.
“They (Ashwal and Praful) are top-tier players in Asia who have played for national teams. They bring a lot of positive qualities to the team, but for us, we still haven’t fully adapted to playing with them just yet. So, we’ll work on further improving our coordination to make the team perform even better,” he explained.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Interior team, who ranked 1st in Group 1, has maintained their strong form by winning all three of their matches in Group 3. They defeated the 3rd Intervention Brigade 3-1 and won 3-0 against both Bodyguard Headquarters and Phnom Penh Municipal Police.
This result has placed the Ministry of Interior team temporarily in second place, tied with Svay Rieng on 9 points. Both teams have advanced to the final four-team stage automatically, despite two remaining group-stage matches.
Phnom Penh Municipal Police, who won two and lost one match, are currently in 3rd place with 6 points.
Meanwhile, defending champions Bodyguard Headquarters have not performed well in the second round, having won just one and lost two matches.
They are currently in 4th place with 3 points, but they are still performing better than Visakha, who are at the bottom of the standings along with the 3rd Intervention Brigade, having lost all three of their matches.
