The Hindu : Sport / Volleyball : IOB (Chennai) claims men’s title

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IOB (Chennai) claims men’s title

Sports Reporter

Bargur: Guided by the thundering spikes of the in-form Naveen Raja Jacob and P. Sivabalan, Indian Overseas Bank (Chennai) bounced back from a first set loss to defeat Kerala State Electricity Board (Thiruvananthapuram) 23-25, 25-18, 25-16, 25-15 and emerged the men’s champion of the 12th National league volleyball (final leg) at the GGHSS courts here on Sunday.

Knowing pretty well that a defeat could prove costly here, IOB went flat out from the start. And the crowd enjoyed its every move. But just when the going looked good, IOB gifted the set to KSEB.

The second set served as a perfect platform for the Chennai-men to prove their all-court superiority. They kept their cool and waited for the young guns from Kerala to misfire. It paid off.

K.J. Jayalal, younger brother of India’s senior setter Kapil Dev, looked out of sorts and so was Najeeb Hassan, the man who was simply unstoppable at Vatakara.

Grabbing the chance

IOB seized the opportunity and had KSEB playing to its tunes. Central blockers Jinson Varghese and Shetlon Moses were strong at the net even as Naveen and Sivabalan were effectively raining in smashes from the flanks.

IOB’s third-set record has not been good so far. But this time around they proved it wrong with its gutsy display right through the set.

That strong temperament saw it go 2-1 up. With its tails up, IOB went for the kill in the fourth. And, KSEB succumbed to the pressure.

Nadarajan, the captain of the team, was a pleased man. The captain, who commanded his team well, was happy with his boys’ performances right through the tournament.

He admitted that his team was under pressure in the first set. “It was tight out in the middle but we managed to overcome the pressure.

“We have worked hard the past two months. Today, it’s time for us to cherish the victory,” said coach P. Sundaram.

With its title win here, IOB also gets a passport for the Asian Club Championship at Almaty (Kazakhstan) from July 17 to 25.

The results: Men: IOB (Chn) bt KSEB (Tvm) 23-25, 25-18, 25-16, 25-15.

Saturday’s results: IOB bt BPCL (Kochi) 25-19, 25-22, 25-16. Women: W. Rly (Mumbai) bt E. Rly (Kolkata) 25-21,17-25, 25-23, 19-25, 15-7.

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