Ahmedabad Defenders warded off a spirited challenge from Kochi Blue Spikers to record a hard-fought 15-14, 15-14, 11-15, 14-15, 15-10 win in the Rupay Prime Volleyball League championship at GMC Balayogi Stadium (Gachibowli) here on Tuesday.
The loss knocked out Blue Spikers but facilitated Kolkata Thunderbolts to make it to the last four stage. Defenders, Calicut Heroes, Hyderabad Black Hawks and Thunderbolts have also made it to the knock-out phase.
In a must-win game for Blue Spikers, it was Defenders who were off to a good start winning the first two sets thanks to the brilliant team work of Angamuthu, Sanju Santosh and Shon P. John, who was leading the attack. Manoj doubled up as a blocker and chipped in with some powerful spikes at critical moments.
If Defenders thought it would be a cakewalk, it was not to be as Blue Spikers displayed great resilience thanks to the outstanding show by Erin Varghese, Cody Caldwell and captain A. Karthik who helped the team win the next two sets.
Different ideas
The decider was expected to be a thriller but Defenders’ Manoj and A. Muthusamy had different ideas. To the delight of Defenders camp, libero Prabhakaran came off with great returns.
In the company of Defenders captain Angamuthu, whose double blocks with Manoj were a treat to watch, the latter scored crucial points even as Shon made sure there were no escape routes for Blue Spikers. And ironically, it was captain Karthik’s service error at 10-14 which saw Defenders wrap up the set and the match.
The result: Ahmedabad Defenders bt Kochi Blue Spikers 15-14, 15-14, 11-15, 14-15, 15-10.
Wednesday’s match: Kolkata Thunderbolts vs Kochi Blue Spikers, 7 p.m.
