Chennai, Mar 18:
Mumbai Meteors bowed out of the third season of RuPay Prime Volleyball League powered by A23 with a solid 15-11, 12-15, 15-12, 17-15 win over the Delhi Toofans in the Super 5s stage at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium, Chennai on Sunday night.
Mumbai got off to a jittery start, but quickly picked themselves up to fight back.
Delhi relied on Aayush’s blocks to counter Mumbai’s attacking threat. Delhi began to attack through Santhosh, but unforced errors from both the teams kept the game level until Ajith Lal’s super serve pushed the Meteors ahead. A miscommunication cost Delhi and the Meteors took an early lead.
Dodic started finding his rhythm in attacks but service errors kept hurting Delhi’s momentum. While Aponza struggled on the night, Aayush and Shameem made a series of impressive blocks to test shackle attackers, helping Delhi find their way back into the contest. The game of small margins saw both teams using their reviews smartly. Amit’s powerful smash earned Mumbai a super point, helping them to a 2-1 lead.
Anand’s impressive passing helped Santhosh launch quick attacks to give Delhi an opening. Saurabh Maan’s blocks proved key to counter Delhi’s attacks, while Amit’s super served inspired the Meteors. Delhi’s errors from the service line continued to haunt them throughout the night and Mumbai picked up the win with Amit’s spike
In the other match, Ahmedabad Defenders defeated Calicut Heroes to stay alive in the tournament and will face Delhi Toofans in Eliminator. Ahmedabad Defenders stayed alive with a 16-18, 13-15, 15-11, 15-8, 15-13 win over the Calicut Heroes in the Super 5s stage.
With this win, Ahmedabad confirmed a spot in the Eliminator and will face Delhi Toofans on Tuesday for a spot in the Final.
Calicut Heroes will face the winner of the Eliminator in the final on Thursday. Angamuthu was named the Player of the Match.
Mohan Ukkrapandian began with a super serve, and immediately Ahmedabad were on the backfoot. With Perotto, and Vinith firing from the opposite ends, and Danial charging from the middle, Calicut attacked from all areas of the court. Ilya Burau’s monster block and Angamuthu’s super serve allowed Ahmedabad to level scores. But Vikas Maan’s all-round showing helped Calicut take an early lead.
Danial’s super serve highlighted the miscommunication in Ahmedabad’s back court. Shikhar Singh’s presence provided Ahmedabad’s defence lethal force. Angamuthu came alive and his powerful spikes troubled Calicut’s defence. But Perotto and Ashok continued to charge with spikes and helped Calicut take control.
Angamuthu continued Ahmedabad’s fightback. Having already confirmed a spot in the final, Calicut tested their bench strength, and Ahmedabad made the most of it to get back into the contest. Ashok continued to attack well for Calicut but service errors proved expensive for the side. Ashok’s overhit on super point edged Ahmedabad ahead, pushing the match to the fifth set.
