Bengaluru Torpedoes continued their winning momentum in the second season of the Prime Volleyball League after defeating the Chennai Blitz 15-11, 8-15, 15-10, 15-13, 10-15 at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium, here on Thursday.
For his impactful performance, Ibin Jose was named the Player of the Match.
Targetting libero Midhun in the middle, Chennai Blitz took advantage as Vyshak Renjith made early errors. Chennai's defence tackled the threat of Tsvetelin Tsvetanov as Tushar made tremendous blocks. As Tsvetanov started getting more of the ball, Bengaluru found a way back.
Renato tested the Torpedoes' back line with powerful spikes and service errors further dented Bengaluru's spirits. But as Ibin Jose and Tsvetanov started combining in the middle, Chennai faltered.
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In Akhin's absence, skipper Naveen Raja Jacob took charge from the middle to bring his side back into the contest, threatening from the service line. Jobin made the most of Torpedoes' defensive struggles and the Blitz regained control.
The Torpedoes struggled to get into a rhythm with plentiful spike errors. But Ibin improved with his blocks and the presence of Sethu TR brought stability to Bengaluru's gameplay and the tables turned once again.
Bengaluru' defence led by Mujeeb and Ibin suddenly started putting pressure on the Blitz, forcing them to come up and play from the middle. But Sita Rama struggled to make a similar impact as Akhin from the position. Alireza Abalooch's lucky spikes and Blitz's block errors dented Chennai's hopes, and Torpedoes won the match 3-2.
Ahmedabad Defenders will be up against Mumbai Meteors and Bengaluru Torpedoes will be up against Kochi Blue Spikers at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium on the third day of the Hyderabad leg of the League on Friday.
