JOIN USDefending champions Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) showed tremendous resilience to overcome a gritty Postal 16-25, 27-25, 25-17, 23-25, 15-6 in the opening match of the first phase of the Karnataka Volleyball League (KVL) at the Chamundeshwari grounds here on Saturday.
It was Postal who called all the shots in the initial stages of the match as they imposed their authority in the first set but BSNL rallied superbly to notch the first points.
India junior player Karthik A was the chief architect of Postal’s ascendancy with his cleverly placed smashes and drop shots doing all the damage throughout the first set. Postal racked up an eight-point lead at 17-9 before wrapping the set comfortably at 25-16.
In the second set, BSNL got their act together with skipper TD Ravikumar and Anil Bernard combining well for the holders to unleash a barrage of smashes to take a 15-10 but Postal fought back. Postal captain Sudarshan and Shreyas led from the front as narrowed the lead at 22-21 to set up an enticing end to the set.
BSNL, though, kept their nerve as Satish Kumar connected some fine smashes at crucial junctures to help them take the second stanza 27-25.
BSNL were unstoppable in the third set as Ravikumar, Bernard and Maruthi G Nayak exhibited good co-ordination at the net to garner points at regular intervals. Postal struggled to find answers to the trio’s trickery as they lost the set 17-25.
The fourth set was a thriller as BSNL, who were on course to win the match leading 20-13, messed up their chances in the final stages. Postal reeled in the seven-point deficit through the exploits of Karthik and Shreyas to go level at 20-20 before clinching the set at 25-23.
The fifth set promised lots of action but it turned out to be an anti-climax as BSNL asserted their dominance to take the set and match at 15-6.
Results: BSNL bt Postal 16-25, 27-25, 25-17, 23-25, 15-6.