Mumbai Meteors defeated the Chennai Blitz 16-14, 11-15, 15-12, 21-19 in the Prime Volleyball League at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium, Hyderabad on Monday to book a spot in the semifinals. Mathias Loftesnes was named the Player of the Match. Chennai setter Sameer straightaway went towards Jerome Vinith and Luiz Perotto to make the attacks, whlile Mumbai captain Amit Gulia attacked from the centre. Chennai defended well with middle blocker Azizbek on court but Amit kept finding gaps.
Mathias did well to keep the pressure up on the Blitz and with Om Lad Vasant's timely block, Mumbai won the first set. Tarun started leading the counter-attack for Chennai while the Blitz' supreme defence kept making it harder for the Meteors to find gaps. Suraj Chaudhary's confident block on Amit shifted the momentum, and Perotto's super serve put pressure on Mumbai. Despite a good fightback from Mumbai, Chennai held their nerve to level the game.
Chennai's libero T. Srikanth thrilled the crowd with his impressive defensive performance. But blocker Karthik's presence brought stability back to Mumbai's defence. Petter Ostvik's all-round display helped Mumbai's cause. Despite service pressure from Perotto, the Meteors managed to held their nerves. With Loftesnes' attack from the middle zone, Mumbai regained their lead.
In the fourth set, two crucial reviews went in Mumbai's favour, solidifying their lead. Perotto and Jerome continued to lead Chennai's fightback. At a crucial juncture Karthik and Shubham combined to block Tarun, earning the Meteors an important point. The marathon set ended with Shubham's super spike and Mumbai claimed a 3-1 win.
Kolkata Thunderbolts win
Earlier in the day, Kolkata Thunderbolts returned to winning ways on the auspicious night of Diwali, defeating the hosts Hyderabad Black Hawks 15-9, 15-13, 9-15, 15-13 in the Prime Volleyball League at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium, Hyderabad on Monday. Pankaj Sharma was named the Player of the Match. With the win, the Thunderbolts climbed to 6th position in the table with 9 points.
The Hawks started with setter Preet Karan spreading his passes between Sahil Kumar and Yudi Yamamoto to test Kolkata's defence. Pankaj Sharma proved prepared, as he combined with Muhammad Iqbal to halt Hyderabad's attacks.
The Thunderbolts appeared like a well-organised machine in defence, not allowing much room to the Hawks to get in their shots. Yudi's spike went wayward costing the hosts a super point, and Kolkata took the lead.
Jithin acted as the mastermind behind Kolkata's tactics, allowing Ashwal Rai and Matin Takavar to lead effective attacks. Iqbal's dominant defending in the middle allowed Kolkata to take control of the match.
Hyderabad made changes to their formation bringing John Joseph, Guru Prashanth and Paulo Lamounier. Paulo's block on Pankaj shifted the momentum as the home crowd went ecstatic. Niyas Abdul Salam found his rhythm. John's block on Rahul earned a crucial super point and the Hawks won the third set to open up the doors for a comeback.
In the fourth set, Lamounier started setting the tempo for Hyderabad's attacks. Pankaj and Ashwal kept making solid cross-court attacks to relieve some pressure. Kolkata regained control winning a crucial super point. Rahul's ferocious spike earned Kolkata an important point and with Shikar missing his shot from the middle, the Thunderbolts claimed a sensational win.