Tamil Nadu men and Kerala women did their reputations as favourites no harm on the opening day of the volleyball competitions at the National Games here on Monday.
But, the big news of the day came from outside the court (see box), as Uttarakhand men refused to play and were later debarred.
Kerala’s women took some time to find their rhythm but they were far superior to Chandigarh, which tried to put up a fight. Kerala won 25-15, 25-3, 25-16 in 50 minutes.
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Captain Tiji Raju, S. Rekha and P.V. Sheeba smashed with power and precision, while M.S. Poornima did a fine job at the net. Though the defending champion was rarely troubled, there were good efforts on the other side of the net from the likes of Kavita Thakur, Shilpa and Kalpana Kumari.
The Tamil Nadu men were in an even more imperious form as they defeated Uttar Pradesh 25-12, 25-12, 25-19.
With S. Prabagaran, John Christopher, Shelton Moses and Sarang Senthilal unleashing lethal smashes, Uttar Pradesh was hardly in the game.
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The reigning champion won in 46 minutes.
In the afternoon, the V.K. Krishna Menon Indoor Stadium failed to accommodate the large crowd that came to watch Kerala men beat Punjab 25-15, 25-21, 25-20.
The results (preliminary league):
Men: Pool A: Tamil Nadu bt Uttar Pradesh 25-12, 25-12, 25-19.
Pool B: Kerala bt Punjab 25-15, 25-21, 25-20.
Women: Pool A: Kerala bt Chandigarh 25-15, 25-3, 25-16.
Pool B: Tamil Nadu bt Uttar Pradesh 25-15, 25-21, 25-18; Services bt Haryana 25-19, 25-22, 25-23.