Captain Ashwal Roy led from the front as Kolkata Thunderbolts beat Bengaluru Torpedoes 15-13, 15-8, 9-15, 15-12, 15-10 for its third win in the Rupay Prime Volleyball League championship at the GMC Balayogi Stadium (Gachibowli) here on Saturday.
The brilliant Ashwal had the liberty to essay his trademark spikes thanks primarily due to the splendid show by S. Aravindhan and Mohammad Riyazudeen, who were just too good in not only thwarting the rival attacks a few times but also setting up so well for Ashwal, Vinit Kumar, and Mathew August.
It was a surprisingly disappointing show from Torpedoes as the normally reliable Ranjith Singh, Lavmeet Kataria and Varun failed to show the desired coordination at the net.
It was left to the efficacy of Pankaj Sharma and P. Rohit, who were good both in attack and defence, that saw Torpedoes stay in the match - winning the third set after losing the first two.
Vinit and Mathew shine
Thunderbolts took a comfortable 5-1 lead before Pankaj combined power and class to reduce the lead for Torpedoes 4-5. But again, it was Ashwal and 'man of the match' Vinit Kumar, who were the big difference, scoring the big points, almost without fail. And, Mathew came good for Thunderbolts too despite conceding the super point with his team leading 11-10, serving into the net and giving a chance for Torpedoes.
But, Aravindhan and Ashwal combined so well that there was no way Torpedoes could stop them in scoring and settle the match in Thunderbolts’ favour.
The result: Kolkata Thunderbolts bt Bengaluru Torpedoes 15-13, 15-7, 9-15, 15-12, 15-10.
Sunday’s match: Hyderabad Black Hawks v Chennai Blitz, 7 p.m.
