Kathmandu: Nepal suffered a heartbreaking defeat against India in a thrilling five-set encounter in the opener of CAVA Women’s Volleyball Championship at the National Sports Council Covered Hall in Tripureshwor, Friday.

India fought back from an early deficit to win the game 3-2 in Group A match. India clinched the contest 20-25, 25-20, 25-19, 21-25, 15-9 after two hours of intense action.

Nepal made an impressive start, taking the opening set 25-20 with aggressive attacking play and solid defense. India, however, responded strongly to level the match winning the second set by the identical score before dominating the third set 25-19 to move within one set of victory.

Refusing to surrender, Nepal fought back brilliantly in the fourth set as the hosts claimed a 25-21 victory to force the match into a decider and ignite the packed indoor hall.

But the Indian side held their nerve in the decisive fifth set, racing to a 15-9 win to silence the home supporters.

Nepal entered the tournament with a relatively inexperienced squad after several senior players, including captain Aruna Shahi, Saraswatii Chaudhary, Pratibha Mali and Kabita Bhatta moved to Australia. Head coach Jagadish Bhatt handed debuts to five players including Sunita Khatri, Mina Sunuwar and Salina Budha Magar.

In the other Group B fixture, Iran defeated Bangladesh in straight sets of 25-6, 25-9, 25-10.

Nepal will vie against Kyrgyzstan on Saturday at 5:00 pm.