RuPay Pro Volleyball League, Match 5: Kochi Blue Spikers reign supreme over Ahmedabad Defenders
The action of RuPay Pro Volleyball League 2019 continued as the Kochi Blue Spikers faced off against the Ahmedabad Defenders at the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium in Kochi, Kerala on Wednesday.
The Spikers reigned supreme over the Ahmedabad Defenders by a 3-2 margin as the Mohan Ukkrapandian-led team claimed their second victory of the season.
David Lee starred for the Blue Spikers with ten points and he was well supported by Prabhagaran (9 points) while skipper Mohan Ukkrapandian's six points were also vital for Kochi's charge. For the Defenders, Victor Sysoev (12 points) and Gurinder Singh (12 points) top scored but were unfortunate to end up on the wrong side of the result.
The Ahmedabad Defenders' Gurinder Singh started the match on a roll as he notched up four points in a row which saw his team take a 4-0 lead. A desperate attempt to pick up some points through the 'Super Point' went in vain for the Blue Spikers as Mandeep's pin-point spike swelled the lead to 7-1. The Spikers made a comeback of sorts as they reduced the deficit to three points but in vain, as the Defenders charged to a 15-10 win in the opening set.
The Blue Spikers found their bearings early in the second set as they took an early 6-4 advantage but a timely couple of points from Ahmedabad equalized the score at 7-7. Drama ensued in the Super Point called by Kochi as the rally ended in favor of them, which added two more points to their tally. With the momentum on Kochi's side, David Lee sent out a slew of searing serves as the Blue Spikers claimed the second set 15-11.
The third set saw the Blue Spikers cruising to a 5-2 lead in the beginning before the Defenders struck crucial points to put the pressure on Kochi with an 8-7 scoreline. However, the momentum hardly rested with either team as the advantage swung like a pendulum. With the scoreline reading 11-11, an error from Kochi on the Super Point gave the Defenders an important two-point lead after which Victor Sysoev's block on Manu Joseph's spike in the next Super Point gave the former's side a thrilling 15-11 win in the third set.
A cat-and-mouse game ensued in the fourth set as the two sides locked in on 4-4 before the Defenders blazed ahead with an 8-4 lead. Prabhagaran's thunderous spike on the Super Point reduced the lead to 8-6 before an error from Victor Sysoev added two more points to Kochi's tally. A few minutes later, a service error from Bjelica gave Kochi an 11-10 lead which was equalized by Gurinder's spike. A thrilling couple of points followed as the Blue Spikers went into an impressive 14-12 lead which they held on to register a 15-12 victory.
The final set started with the Blue Spikers dominating the proceedings as they raced away to a 4-1 lead. A quick resurgence from the Defenders to reduce the deficit to just a solitary point was quelled by a Super Serve from Praveen, whose efforts gave Kochi a four-point lead. A subsequent smash from Sysoev reduced the lead to two points but in the end, the lead sufficed as Kochi wrested control in the set and, courtesy of a service error from Ranjit Singh, wrapped up the match with a 15-12 win in the deciding set.
Impact Player - David Lee (Kochi Blue Spikers)
The mighty presence of David Lee in the Kochi Blue Spikers' ranks served them good as the towering attacker powered his way to 10 points, with eight points coming through pin-point spikes and two points through solid blocks.
The Kochi Blue Spikers will face off against the Black Hawks Hyderabad on 8th February while the Ahmedabad Defenders will enjoy a long break before stepping onto the court against the Calicut Heroes on the 13th of February 2019.