Tamil Nadu came up with yet another clinical performance as it beat Haryana in straight sets 25-20, 31-29, 25-20 at the 63rd Senior National volleyball championship at the Nehru indoor stadium here on Monday.
With this win, Tamil Nadu cemented its position at the top of Group A, with a game left on Wednesday against Services.
In the opening set, the defending champion started off well and never allowed the opponent to have a say in the game.
Sarang Santhilal and G.R. Vaishnav blocked effectively at the net as the duo did not give space for the Haryana strikers. Santhilal, in particular, was fantastic as he delivered mighty smashes throughout the match.
Close affairThe second set, however, was a close affair. Haryana’s Gurpreet Singh and Vikas Chauhan played exceptionally well and made the host sweat.
But Tamil Nadu players’ experience came in handy as they held their nerve to claim the second set at 31-29. In the final set, TN was hardly pushed as skipper D. Selvaprabhu provided able support to the other two blockers at the net.
Earlier in the day, title-favourite Kerala, after a disappointing performance against Railways on Sunday, got its campaign back on track, beating Rajasthan in four sets. Kerala’s blocking was much better this day with skipper P. Rohit finding his form.
In the other match, Punjab, after being humbled by TN in its opening game, defeated Services in four sets.
The results: Men: Andhra Pradesh bt Odisha 25-16, 25-14, 25-07; UP bt Telangana 25-22, 25-20, 23-25, 25-17; Assam bt Chattisgarh 18-25, 26-24, 18-25,25-22,16-14; Madhya Pradesh bt Tirupura 25-14, 25-18, 25-11; Maharashtra bt Bihar 25-14, 25-16, 25-15; Karnataka bt Pondycherry 25-12, 25-10, 25-14; Kerala bt Rajasthan 25-23, 15-25, 27-25, 25-17; Punjab bt Services 28-26, 25-18, 21-25, 25-17; Railways bt Uttarakhand 25-14, 25-12, 25-13; Himachal Pradesh bt Delhi 25-21, 25-23, 25-21.
Women: Maharashtra bt Bihar 25-13, 25-2, 25-6; Chandigarh bt Mizoram 25-19, 25-11, 25-19; Rajasthan bt Pondycherry 25-9, 25-11, 25-14; Andhra Pradesh bt Jharkhand 25-14, 25-17, 25-16; Telangana bt Chattisgarh 25-10, 25-12, 25-11; Railways bt Uttar Pradesh 25-15, 25-10, 25-13; Delhi bt Uttarakhand 25-15, 25-15, 25-11; Tamil Nadu bt Karnataka 18-25, 25-23, 25-20, 25-18; Kerala bt West Bengal 25-20, 25-16, 25-17.
