Calicut Heroes Rupee enters the semi-finals of the Prime Volleyball League following defeating the Hyderabad Black Hawks by five sets. Calicut won the match 15-14, 15-10, 15-14, 15-14, 15-9 at the Gatchibauli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad. David Lee of Calicut Heroes was selected as the man of the match. With a five-set victory, Calicut finished second in the league with seven points from six matches.
The Black Hawks took an 11-9 lead in the first set on the spike of SV Guru Prashant. Calicut Heroes scored a super point soon following to level the score at 11-11. Calicut won the first set 15-14 with Vignesh Raj smashing 14-14. The Heroes took a 5-1 lead in the second set thanks to David Lee. Captain Jerome Vineet stood up and the Heroes continued to jump. Ajit Lal smashed a smashing score to make it 12-8. Calicut ended the second set 15-10 to take a 2-0 lead.
In the third set, the Black Hawks showed signs of returning. Two excellent spikes from Amit Gulia gave them a 6-4 lead. However, the Heroes fought back through Abil Krishnan and Jerome Vineet to tie the game at 11-11. The score rose to 14-14 as both teams retained points. The Heroes won the third set 15-14 with another superb spike from Abil Krishna.
The Black Hawks led 9-6 in the fourth set. The Heroes drew level through David Lee to tie the score at 9-9. Calicut took a 12-9 three-point lead with a crucial super point within seconds. Amit Gulia’s performance helped Hyderabad level the score at 14-14 but the Heroes did not give up the set. The team won the fourth set 15-14. The Heroes jumped to a big lead in the final set, aiming for bonus points. The Calicut captain, who led 10-4, dominated the smash and won the final set 15-9. The Calicut Heroes won all three of their six matches in the Rupee Prime Volleyball League.
Kochi Blue Spykers will take on Ahmedabad Defenders on Tuesday at 6.50 pm. A big win in the remaining two matches is essential to ensure the only semi-spot left
