Kathmandu, July 23 -- Nepal suffered another agonising setback at the CAVA Men's Volleyball Championship on Thursday, falling to Sri Lanka in a gruelling five-set thriller to register their second consecutive defeat of the tournament.

The six-nation championship kicked off on Wednesday at the Liaquat Gymnasium inside the Pakistan Sports Complex in Islamabad. The championship is played in a single round-robin format: The top four teams at the end of the group stage will advance to the semifinals.

Nepal's campaign opened on a dramatic note against Kazakhstan on Wednesday. The Gorkhalis staged a spirited fightback after dropping the first two sets, forcing a decisive fifth set before eventually bowing out in the thriller.

Nepal lost the f...