Ernakulam team lifts volley title
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The star-studded Ernakulam team clinched the State Senior Volleyball Championship men’s title defeating Thiruvananthapuram in the finals played at the Vengalam Volleyball Ground in Kozhikode on Sunday.
It was rather an easy game for Ernakulam in the first set and they won it by 25-16. Tom Joseph shone with his smashes so the players from Thiruvananthapuram found the going difficult.
The direct points gained by Anil and Kishore also helped Ernakulam create an early five point lead and subsequently win the set.
The second set witnessed a Thiruanvananthapuram team comeback. Scoring on direct points from the jump serves of Manu Joseph, Thiruvananthapuram rallied to 20 points.
Dhanesh and captain Ragesh provided much of the points from smashes resulting in the collapse of the Ernakulam defence. Thiruvananthapuram won the set with a direct point coming from Manu Joseph’s serve.
The third set was one of the most fiercely fought in the match. Ernakulam rallied to 11 points while Thiruvanananthapuram were able to get only six points before the first rest period was called. Most of these points came from blistering smashes.
However, Thiruvananthapuram came from behind through their captain Ragesh’s serves. Ragesh garnered six straight points and played impressively to lift his team to eight points.
However, some unforced errors halted Thiruvananthapuram’s steady progress and favoured Ernakulam later in the game. The set went in favour of Ernakulam — 25-21.
The fourth set was a crucial one for Thiruvananthapuram as they had to win it to win the championship. The first set point was broken by a beautiful smash from Tom Joseph. Ernakulam’s Rohit also rose to the situation scoring some beautiful points for his team.
After drawing level with 10 points, Ernakulam cruised to 19 points without giving the Thiruvananthapuram players much chance.
But Thiruvananthapauram fought hard via Manu Joseph’s smashes and ensured that they were just one point down at 23-22 from Ernakalulam. A smash by Vibin and Rohit ensured that the set and the championship went to Ernakulam.
Brief results
Ernakulam beat Thiruvananthapuram (25-16, 21- 25, 25- 21, 25 – 23)
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