Hyderabad: Kolkata Thunderbolt defeated Kochi Blue Spykers in the last league round match of the Volleyball League to become the second team in the points table. Kolkata won the match 13-15, 15-11, 15-13, 15-8, 10-15. Kolkata Thunderbolt’s Vineet Kumar has been named the Man of the Match for Wednesday’s match at the Gatchibauli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad.
In the first semi-final on Thursday, league-ranked Ahmedabad Defenders will take on fourth-ranked Hyderabad Black Hawks. The second semi-final between Kolkata Thunderbolt and third-placed Calicut Heroes will be played on Friday.
The Blue Spikers took a 9-7 lead in the first set through Abdul Rahim’s smashed smashes. Matthew August’s beautiful spike then gave the Thunderbolts a super point and a 12-11 lead. Kochi did not give up, TR Sethu’s excellent serve put the Blue Spikers in the driving seat. Kochi ended the first set 15-13 in Coldwell’s smash. Rahul’s two smashed serves gave the Thunderbolts an 8-5 lead in the second set. Vineet Kumar also performed well. Kolkata continued their lead with a 15-11 draw in the second set.
Thunderbolt continued to advance in the third set. Captain Ashwal Rai and Rahul spiked well to give India a three-point lead of 9-6. Cody Coldwell and Abhinav BS put Kochi ahead 11-9, but Kolkata regained the lead 13-11 with two consecutive super points. Kolkata won the third set 15-13 through a block to take a 2-1 lead.
Rahul and Vineet created brilliant spikes to give Kolkata a 7-3 lead in the fourth set. Vineet’s smashing smash gave the Thunderbolts a super point and a 12-7 lead. Kolkata won the fourth set 15-8.
In the fourth set, the Thunderbolts and the Blue Spikers fought hard. Kochi won the toss and elected to field. The Blue Spikers finished the set 15-10 with two more points in a row. Kolkata’s fourth win in six matches in the Rupee Prime Volleyball League.
