Kolkata Thunderbolts defeats Kochi Blue Spikers

The Kolkata Thunderbolts finished second in the points chart after defeating the Kochi Blue Spikers 13-15, 15-11, 15-13, 15-8, 10-15 in the RuPay Prime Volleyball League’s last league stage match on Wednesday at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad. Vinit Kumar of the Kolkata Thunderbolts was named Player of the Match.

The Ahmedabad Defenders, who finished first in the league stage, face the Hyderabad Black Hawks (fourth place) in the first Semi-Final on Thursday, while the Kolkata Thunderbolts (second place) face the Calicut Heroes (third place) in the second Semi-Final on Friday.

The Blue Spikers took a 9-7 lead in the first set thanks to a tremendous smash from Abdul Raheem. However, Matthew August made a great spike as the Thunderbolts earned a Super Point and took a 12-11 lead. However, Sethu TR’s superb serve placed the Blue Spikers in front before Caldwell’s smash helped Kochi finish out the opening set at 15-13.

Rahul K pulled off two spectacular serves as the Thunderbolts held the edge at 8-5 in the second set. Vinit Kumar also stood tall as Kolkata continued to forge ahead. Kolkata rode on the momentum and eventually wrapped up the second set at 15-11 to make it one set all.

Captain Ashwal Rai and Rahul K effected fabulous spikes as the Thunderbolts held the edge at 9-6 in the third set. However, Cody Caldwell and Abhinav BS showed their brilliance to help Kochi gain the lead at 11-9. But, Kolkata won two Super Points in a row and regained the lead at 13-11. The Thunderbolts effected a block and closed out the third set at 15-13 to take a 2-1 lead in the match.

Rahul and Vinit continued to produce brilliant spikes as Kolkata dominated the fourth set at 7-3. Moments later, Vinit produced another fabulous spike to help the Thunderbolts win a Super Point and take a massive lead at 12-7. Kolkata eventually wrapped up the fourth set at 15-8 and sealed the match.

The Thunderbolts and Blue Spikers played out a hard-fought contest and were locked at 9-9 in the final set. However, Raison Benet Rebello’s spectacular serve helped Kochi win a Super Point and put his team in the driver’s seat at 13-10. The Blue Spikers eventually closed out the fifth set at 15-10. Kolkata registered their fourth victory in six matches at the RuPay Prime Volleyball League.

Next Match:

Semi-Final 1 – Ahmedabad Defenders vs Hyderabad Black Hawks at 1850hrs on Thursday, 24 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.

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