Hosts scored a thrilling 25-17, 22-25, 25-19, 25-20 win over defending champions in 72 minutes. Karnataka finished with an all win record in the five-team league.

Right from the start, the State men came up with some spectacular retrievals. Kerala were made to work hard for each and every point. Ganesh Rai and Imtiaz pelted powerful smashes while blockers Nagesh and Sagar did a commendable job for hosts who took the first set 25-17.

Kerala fought back through Haroon Rasheed M A and Ashish Cherian who came up with telling smashes. Hosts narrowed the gap, but a couple of unforced errors proved costly for them as they surrendered the second set 22-25.

Karnataka’s Libero Darshan S as well as Vinod M covered the back-court well. Their first passes and retrievals helped hosts maintain a narrow lead in the third set. Skipper Ganesh’s fine drop followed by an angled smash helped hosts win the third set 25-19 and take a crucial 2-1 lead.

Nothing went right for the visitors in the fourth set. Hosts capitalised on the unforced errors to gain a four point lead at 20-16. From then on Karnataka never looked back and the hosts clinched the issue when Rasheed netted his serve.

Kerala eves triumph
Earlier, Kerala women overcame Karnataka 25-21, 25-11, 25-23  to retain the title. Kerala were unbeaten in the league , while Karnataka with one defeat, took the second place.

Karnataka, who lost the first and second sets rather tamely, produced a much improved display in the third set. Swetha N and Bijina N P spiked well and Shyni C K served well as Karnataka took lead for the first time in the match. But then, they hit a couple of smashes wide and some loose passes handed the initiative to their rivals.
Results: Men: Karnataka bt Kerala 25-17, 22-25, 25-19, 25-20; Tamil Nadu bt Kerala 25-18, 25-19, 25-27, 28-26; Puducherry bt Andhra Pradesh 25-23, 25-15, 27-25.

Women: Kerala bt Karnataka 25-21, 25-11, 25-23; Karnataka bt Andhra Pradesh 25-19, 25-19, 25-19; Andhra Pradesh bt Puducherry 25-10, 25-10, 25-13.

Standings: Men: Karnataka, 1; Tamil Nadu, 2; Kerala, 3; Andhra Pradesh, 4; Puducherry, 5.

Women: Kerala, 1; Karnataka, 2; Tamil Nadu, 3; Andhra Pradesh, 4; Puducherry, 5.