Hyderabad, Oct 15 (IANS) Chennai Blitz bounced back to beat the Ahmedabad Defenders 15-10, 10-15, 15-11, 12-15, 15-13 in Season 4 of the Prime Volleyball League (PVL) at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium, Hyderabad on Wednesday. Jerome Vinith was named the Player of the Match.

The thrilling contest saw the momentum shifting with each point till the last minute, until Chennai managed to hold on to script a win to climb to 6th position with 6 points in 5 games.

Chennai started strong with captain Jerome leading the attacks. With a venomous super serve, he tested Ahmedabad’s defence. Muthusamy Appavu started targeting Nandhagopal to push Ahmedabad’s counter-attack. A misfired shot from Battur Batsuuri earned the Defenders a critical super point.

Akhin began making an impact for Ahmedabad in the defence. Batsuuri’s cross-body spikes struck the mark, putting pressure back on the Blitz. Angamuthu’s presence on court turned the momentum towards Ahmedabad.

Tarun Gowda’s super serve helped Chennai regain their confidence. Azizbek Kuchkorov, playing his first game, made tremendous blocks to stop Ahmedabad’s attacks. Luiz Felipe Perotto joined the attack for the Blitz, and once again, the game flipped.

Service pressure from Nandha troubled the Blitz, and with a super serve, the Ahmedabad attacker ensured his side remained in the game. Despite solid passing from setter Sameer and good defence from Suraj Chaudhary, Nandha kept the pressure up to push the game to the fifth set.

Azizbek’s tremendous blocking in the final set helped the Blitz stop the Ahmedabad attackers. Akhin stopped Jerome’s attack, adding a new twist to the tale. Perotto and Muthsamy combined to block Perotto to earn themselves a crucial super point. But Jerome’s clutch play caught the Defenders off guard, and Chennai scripted an unforgettable victory.

Earlier on Tuesday, Mumbai Meteors defeated the Kochi Blue Spikers in a five-set thriller, winning the match 15-7, 7-15, 13-15, 15-8, 15-11 in the Prime Volleyball League at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium, Hyderabad on Tuesday. Karthik was named the Player of the Match.

–IANS

bsk/