Goa Guardians snatched a sensational 13-15, 15-11, 9-15, 18-16, 19-17 win over the Ahmedabad Defenders in the RR Kabel Prime Volleyball League powered by Scapia at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium, Hyderabad on Tuesday. Rohit Yadav was named the Player of the Match.
The game saw plenty of twists and turns with both the teams having to fight till the very end, until Goa managed to sneak ahead at the last minute.
The first few minutes were loaded with drama involving review calls, super serves, and relentless action as both the teams tried to take the lead. Between Angamuthu, Shon T, and Battur Batsuuri, captain and setter Muthusamy Appavu found himself with plenty of options in the attack.
Goa’s captain Chirag Yadav along with the foreign imports Jeffrey Menzel and Nathaniel Dickinson led Goa’s counter-attack. Prince remained a force in the defence for the Guardians, making dominant blocks against Ahmedabad’s firepower. Both the teams kept asking questions from each other.
Batsuuri’s ballistic missiles from left side kept Ahmedabad going, while setter Rohit Yadav played the role of the setter perfectly for Goa. Abhinav kept standing tall in defence to block Dickinson’s path, while Abhinav made efficient blocks for Goa. But Menzel brought the goods for Goa in attacks, finding gaps on Ahmedabad’s court, and with two consecutive pins, pushed the game to the fifth set.
Batsuuri tilted the final set towards Defenders with a tremendous super serve. As a last resort measure, Goa called for a super point and managed to close the gap. Riding on Dickinson’s ruthless attacks, Goa found their way back once again and with Menzel’s spike, managed to script an unforgettable comeback story, as the PVL debutants opened their account for the season after having suffered narrow losses in the first two five-set thrillers.
