Kathmandu, Dec 23 (IANS): India clinched the first South Asian Women's Volleyball Championship title here Tuesday.

India topped the table with 12 points from four consecutive victories, while Nepal, with nine points from three wins, took the second place above Sri Lanka, who lost two of their four matches, reports Xinhua.

"We feel very proud and happy as this is the first South Asian Women's Volleyball Championship, and we came out as champions," Meena Mahalingam, the coach of the Indian team, said.

"We hope to clinch victories in coming editions too."

The unbeaten team bagged a cash prize of $2,000. The Nepali team received $1,000 while Sri Lanka got $500.

"Nepal and Sri Lanka were strong opponents but our team's hard work paid off. I am happy my leadership yielded a positive result," Indian skipper Tiji Raju said.

Bangladesh sat at the bottom of the table without a win while the Maldives garnered three points from its win against Bangladesh.

In the first match Tuesday, India routed Bangladesh 3-0 (25- 13, 25-6 and 25-8).

According to Nepal Volleyball Association president Dan Bahadur Tamang, the next edition of the tournament will be held in India. The date is yet to be fixed.