BSNL, SAI score hard-fought wins

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) fought hard to register a come-from-behind 20-25, 25-15, 25-21, 25-23 victory over Madras Engineer Group (MEG) in the 19th State ‘A’ Division volleyball championship at the Sree Kanteerava stadium on Wednesday.

In another match SAI defeated BEL 31-29, 25-12, 25-22.
MEG started strongly with their captain Sachin Kumar and Bipin N combining well to fetch them crucial points. The Sappers raced to a 9-3 lead helped by some well directed smashes from Sachin and the wiry Packiyaraj.

Although BSNL bounced back to narrow the deficit, MEG sustained the tempo. Arun Selvan’s blocking for MEG was another highlight in the first set as the Premjith-coached side took the first set.

BSNL’s fighting abilities came to the fore in the second set. Ravi Kumar’s drop shots and Anoop D’Costa’s stinging smashes enabled them take a 17-10 lead before pocketing the set comfortably.

In the third set, BSNL rode on captain Maruthi Nayak’s all-round game and Ravi Kumar’s intelligent ball play to get into a strong position. BSNL were also helped in their cause by some confusion in the MEG defence.

BSNL played liked a well-oiled machine with Sujith Acharya and libero Jeevan making some superb retrievals. MEG managed to pull back a few points through Packiyaraj and Prince but BSNL won the set 25-21.

A desperate MEG stepped it up in the fourth but at 17-17, BSNL raised their game.  Anil Bernard and Anoop smashed through the MEG defences in the final stages of the contest. With BSNL leading 24-23, MEG’s Packiyaraj served into the net, leaving the former deserving winners.