West Bengal displayed fine team effort to start its campaign with a 25-18, 25-22, 25-22 win over Gujarat in a boys’ Pool A match on the opening day of the 37th National sub-junior volleyball championship at the Ajmal Khan Park, Karol Bagh, here on Friday.
Last year’s quarterfinalist, Bengal played solidly to take the first set without much trouble. However, it found the going tough when Gujarat competed keenly in the next two.
Bengal benefited from the good work of its blocker-cum-setter Pratik Sarkar. The tall boy moved swiftly to cover the net and set up some nice balls for his colleagues to score points off. Libero Manoj Sardar also made useful saves as Bengal narrowly took the second set.
ADVERTISEMENT
Led by its setter Kamal Chaudhary, Gujarat fought back in the third set and kept the serve with it for a good period. Chaudhary showed his skill as a playmaker as well as an opportunistic scorer.
However, he did not get enough support from his teammates who committed a lot of unforced errors.
Bengal, which let slip the momentum a little bit, regained control primarily due to the decent performances of its captain Debdip Kole and Sarkar in the third set.
ADVERTISEMENT
In one of the longest matches in the girls’ section, Himachal Pradesh thwarted a spirited Andhra Pradesh to record a hard-fought victory in Pool D.
Important results: Boys: Pool A: West Bengal bt Gujarat 25-18, 25-22, 25-22. Pool C: Uttarakhand bt Goa 25-12, 25-8, 25-23. Pool D: Manipur bt Jharkhand 25-18, 25-18, 25-18; Delhi bt Andhra Pradesh 25-23, 25-17, 25-18.
Girls: Pool B: Uttar Pradesh bt Bihar 25-4, 25-4, 25-6. Pool C: Maharashtra bt Odisha 25-4, 25-9, 25-5; Haryana bt Delhi 25-20, 25-18, 25-22. Pool D: Himachal Pradesh bt Andhra Pradesh 25-13, 25-17, 20-25, 25-22.