Black Hawks U21 (Hyderabad) were crowned champions of the inaugural Guardians Trophy 2026 after defeating hosts Goa Guardians U21 3-1 in the final at the Don Bosco Oratory,
Panjim, on Sunday.
The victory brought the curtain down on three days of U21 volleyball in Goa, with the youth squads of all 10 Prime Volleyball League franchises competing on one platform for the inaugural Guardians Trophy title.
After 20 group-stage matches and two semi-finals, Goa Guardians U21 and Black Hawks U21 (Hyderabad) emerged as the final two, setting up a fitting conclusion to the tournament.
Hosts Goa Guardians U21 had to dig deep in their semi-final, overcoming Mumbai Meteors Youth 3-2 in a five-set battle.
Mumbai took the opening set 16-14 before Goa responded to win the next two 15-12 and 15-10. Mumbai forced the contest into a deciding fifth set with a 15-12 victory in the fourth, but Goa held their nerve when it mattered most, taking the decider 15-10 to book their place in the final.
In the second semi-final, Hyderabad Black Hawks U21 produced a commanding performance against Ahmedabad Defenders U21, winning in straight sets.
Hyderabad edged a closely contested opening set 16-14 before taking the second 15-9. Ahmedabad pushed them again in the third, but Hyderabad closed it out 16-14 to secure a 3-0 victory and their place in the championship match.
The final brought together a Goa side that had gone through the entire group stage unbeaten and a Hyderabad team arriving on the back of an impressive straight-sets semifinal victory.
Hyderabad made the stronger start, taking the opening set 15-7. Backed by the home crowd, Goa responded in the second, winning 15-11 to level the final and keep their hopes of lifting the trophy on home soil alive.
The third set proved pivotal. With little separating the two teams, Hyderabad edged the set 16-14 to move within one set of the championship. The Black Hawks then took control of the fourth, winning 15-8 to complete a 3-1 victory and become the champions of the first edition of Guardians Trophy.
Final Score: Goa Guardians U21 1-3 Hyderabad Black Hawks U21 (7-15, 15-11, 14-16, 8-15).
The following individual prizes were awarded: MVP of the Tournament: Sarthak – Hyderabad, Best Server: Sarthak – Hyderabad, Best Opposite: Sarthak – Hyderabad, Best Attacker: Deepak – Hyderabad, Best Blocker: Suraj – Goa, Best Setter: Arjun – Goa, Best Libero: Yogesh – Goa.
The champions Hyderabad Black Hawks U21 bagged Rs 1.20 Lakh, while runners-up Goa Guardians were presented Rs 60,000. The U21 All Stars team was also unveiled on the occasion.
