Defending champion Ahmedabad Defenders beat host Chennai Blitz 3-0 in a one-sided encounter in the Prime Volleyball League season three opener at the SDAT multi-purpose indoor stadium on Thursday.
It would especially have been a difficult loss to digest for current Chennai coach Dakshinamoorthy S, who has had the experience of mentoring the Defenders for two years.
Leandro Mejia, the Colombian middle blocker, claimed the first point of the season with a spike to the left flank to catch the Defenders off guard. The visitor, initially on the backfoot, recovered after a timeout to clinch the first set 15-10.
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The Chennai libero Ramanathan R showcased his acrobatic skills with a few attempts to save the ball, but it went in vain as S Nandhagopal’s cross-court smash concluded the second set 15-11 in favour of the Defenders.
A tussle of points ensued in the third set after Chennai won a super point, resulting in an 8-8 tie. This was before the Defenders pulled past the host 15-12 to end the match.
In a rematch of last edition’s semifinal, Ashwal Rai’s Kolkata Thunderbolts gave a tough fight to the 2023 runner-up Bengaluru Torpedoes but finished on the losing side in a four-set thriller 14-16, 16-14, 13-15, 10-15. With this win, the Torpedoes stand second on the points table behind the Defenders.
Result
Ahmedabad Defenders bt Chennai Blitz (15-10, 15-11, 15-12); Bengaluru Torpedoes bt Kolkata Thunderbolts (16-14, 14-16, 15-13, 15-10).
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