61st Senior National Volleyball Championship: Reigning champions Kerala survive Haryana scare; meet TN in final

Reigning champions Kerala were given a mighty scare by resurgent Haryana before they prevailed 25-18, 25-23, 20-25, 18-25, 15-10 to scrape into the men’s final of the 61st Senior National Volleyball Championship at the Sawai Man Singh Indoor Stadium in Jaipur.

Kerala seemed to have assumed control over the proceedings winning the first two sets 25-18, 25-23 to enjoy a 2-0 cushion.

Down by two sets to nil, Haryana, who earned praise for their determined semifinal finish in the championship, dug into their reserves and threw the onus on Kerala to raise their performance bar.

They reduced the deficit winning the third set 25-20 before growing in confidence to bag the fourth set at 25-18 to level things.

Kerala regrouped in the decider and ran up a crucial 8-5 lead in the decider.

The likes of internationals Tom Joseph and Vibin M. George dished robust blocks and smashes as the defending champions seemed poised to go for the final kill. But the day belonged to K.S. Ratheesh, who was the standout performer for Kerala, exhibiting his smashing and blocking prowess in no uncertain terms.

Kerala would now take on 2011 champions Tamil Nadu in the men’s final. Tamil Nadu exacted sweet revenge for their last year’s semifinal defeat to Uttarakhand, who ended up as last year’s runners-up, pipping them 25-21, 25-14, 25-21.

Tamil Nadu featuring as many as five national players – G. Pradeep, G.R. Vaishnav, Naveen Raja Jacob, S. Kanagaraj and M. Ukkira Pandian – called the shots from the word go and came out convincing winners.

In the women’s section, 27-time champions Railways – who are also the reigning champions and Kerala set up a repeat of last year’s final, posting facile wins against Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu respectively.

Results (Semifinals):

Men: Tamil Nadu bt Uttarakhand 25-21, 25-14, 25-21; Kerala bt Haryana 25-18, 25-23, 20-25, 18-25, 15-10.

Women: Railways bt Andhra Pradesh 25-14, 25-16, 25-10; Kerala bt Tamil Nadu 25-21, 25-18, 25-22.