Ahmedabad Defenders defeat Kolkata Thunderbolts to become the first team to reach the Semi-Finals.

The Ahmedabad Defenders advanced to the final four of the RuPay Prime Volleyball League after defeating the Kolkata Thunderbolts 7-15, 15-10, 15-13, 15-14, 10-15 on Saturday at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad. Ahmedabad has risen to the top of the standings with 8 points after 5 games. Shon T John of the Ahmedabad Defenders was named Player of the Match.

The Kolkata Thunderbolts got off to a fast start, taking a 7-3 lead in the opening set thanks to Rahul K and Vinit Kumar. Captain Ashwal Rai also stood tall as Kolkata pushed ahead. Vinit delivered a spectacular smash to help the Thunderbolts gain a Super Point and grab a commanding 13-7 lead. The opening set was finally won by the Thunderbolts, 15-7.

Shon T John hit two spectacular spikes as the Defenders gained a 6-3 lead in the second set. The Thunderbolts made a few unforced errors in the second set, which Ahmedabad won 13-6. To get on board, the Defenders finally won the second set 15-10.

The Thunderbolts and the Defenders played out a hard-fought contest and were locked at 9-9 in the third set. The Kolkata Skipper Ashwal Rai pulled off a brilliant spike and a block to help his team take the lead at 12-11, but Angamuthu also effected a brilliant spike as the Defenders leveled the scores at 12-12. Thereafter, Hardeep Singh produced a brilliant spike to help his team close out the third set at 15-13 and take a 2-1 lead in the match.

Angamuthu pulled off a brilliant spike and Manoj LM effected a superb block as the Defenders took the lead at 10-8 in the fourth set. However, Vinit produced a fantastic smash as the Thunderbolts leveled the scores at 11-11. But Shon T John stood tall and helped the Defenders win a Super Point and take the lead at 13-11. Thereafter, Ashwal showed his brilliance as Kolkata leveled the scores at 13-13. However, the Defenders held their nerve and closed out the fourth set at 15-14 to seal the match.

The Kolkata side gained the momentum and took the lead at 8-6 in the final set. Thereafter, Ashwal effected a fantastic block as the Thunderbolts continued to forge ahead. Kolkata eventually wrapped up the final set at 15-10.

The Ahmedabad Defenders registered their fourth victory in five matches at the RuPay Prime Volleyball League.

The Chennai Blitz will go up against Bengaluru Torpedoes at 1850 hrs on Sunday, 20 February 2022.

Watch the RuPay Prime Volleyball League powered by A23, LIVE and Exclusive on SONY TEN 1, SONY TEN 2 (Malayalam), SONY TEN 3 (Hindi) and SONY TEN 4 (Tamil and Telugu). The RuPay Prime Volleyball League is exclusively marketed by Baseline Ventures, the leading sports marketing firm in the nation. RuPay, the first-of-its-kind Global Card payment network from India, has come on board as the Title Sponsor of the RuPay Prime Volleyball League and Fantasy games leaders A23 have signed on as “Powered By” Sponsors in a multi-year deal.

Byju’s, Cred, Dafa News, EatFit, Amul Kool and Nippon Paint have come on board as Associate Sponsors and Cosco & Apollo Hospitals have associated with the RuPay Prime Volleyball League as the Official Partners. ShareChat and Moj are the Official Content Partners of the RuPay Prime Volleyball League.

The RuPay Prime Volleyball League will feature a total of 24 matches.