In an absorbing encounter, Services scrapped to a tough five-set win over Haryana 25-16, 19-25, 25-21, 24-26, 17-15, in its first match of the campaign in the 63rd senior National volleyball championship at the Nehru Indoor stadium here on Sunday.
In a match that saw the momentum constantly changing, last year’s semifinalists, Services held its nerve in the dying moments of the match in the decider.
Services, which is fielding a relatively new side for this season, struggled to keep the momentum through the game. Services coach Ramesh said, “We are a young side with many players playing their first nationals. While our attackers and setters did well, we need to work on our defensive game and blocking.”
Haryana started well in the first set as the two sides kept pace with each other until the first 20 points. Services then stepped up its intensity and clinched the set 25-16 as it took advantage of some missed serves by Haryana.
In the next set, Haryana opened up an 8-1 advantage and gave very little chance to Services.
Having won the third set easily, Services failed to close out the match in the fourth set after it fought back from 14-17 down to go level at 22-22.
For Services, attackers Pankaj Sharma and Kuldeep were the stand-out performers as they smashed with precision.
The results: Men: Uttar Pradesh bt Bihar 25-20, 25-17, 25-13; Telangana bt Jammu & Kashmir 26-24, 25-11, 25-17; Chhattisgarh bt Delhi 25-21, 25-23, 25-15; West Bengal bt Himachal Pradesh 25-22, 25-23, 25-18; Karnataka bt Madhya Pradesh 25-23, 25-19, 25-18; Puducherry bt Jharkhand 25-20, 19-25, 25-20, 25-20; Andhra Pradesh bt Gujarat 25-21, 25-14, 25-21; Chandigarh bt Odisha 25-11, 19-25, 25-22, 25-23; Services bt Haryana 25-16, 19-25, 25-21, 24-26, 17-15.
Women: Gujarat bt Madhya Pradesh 25-15, 26-24, 25-20; Telangana bt Rajasthan 25-14, 25-12, 25-10; Chhattisgarh bt Pondicherry 25-14, 25-20, 25-13; Tamil Nadu bt West Bengal 25-22, 25-23, 25-19; Delhi bt Jharkhand 25-19, 25-10, 25-12; Andhra Pradesh bt Uttarkhand 25-6, 25-6, 25-13; Kerala bt Karnataka 25-18, 25-14, 25-13; Railways bt Punjab 25-13, 25-7, 25-8; Maharashtra bt Mizoram 26-24, 25-19, 25-14, Chandigarh bt Bihar 25-11, 25-19, 25-06.
