State Police retain crown

Riding on a dominating performance from star spiker Karthik, KSP jumped into an early lead in the first set, which they never relinquished. Karthik was the focal point of their attack and he did not disappoint, with his lethal serves and smashes giving KSP a 16-10 lead. The policemen looked like they were going to run away with the set, but MEG showed good fighting spirit and clawed their way back to within two points. That was as close as they got, though.

The second set was different, with MEG jumping out to an early four-point lead. However, KSP showed why they were the three-time defending champions and made a sparkling comeback, again powered by Karthik’s offence and good team play, to take the second 25-20.

In the third, both teams failed to grab a lead early on in a see-saw battle. KSP went up 16-14 and looked set for a straightforward victory, but MEG called a time-out to stem the flow. They came back a better side and, under the stewardship of Ratheesh and Ayyapan, fought their way back to reduce the deficit.

The fourth set again started off a close one. KSP stepped up a gear and showed their class to pull away and cruise to the title. Quite fittingly, it was star of the match Karthik who won them the final point.

Jindal Steel Works beat Postal 3-1 to take the third place.

Results: KSP bt MEG 3-1 (25-23, 25-20, 23-25, 25-15); JSW bt Postal 3-1 (25-21, 25-19, 22-25, 26-24).