Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium: Muthusamy Appavu excelled as defending champions Ahmedabad Defenders picked up a comprehensive 15-10, 15-11, 15-12 win over the hosts Chennai Blitz at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium here on Thursday to kick off the third season of Prime Volleyball League.
The Defenders did not get off to the best of starts, with Leandro Jose combining with skipper Akhin G.S for Chennai Blitz.
But the momentum turned for Ahmedabad after a quick advice from coach Dragan Mihailović. Ilya Burau made up for the absence of Danial Moatazedi, with stunning smashes down the right channel. Blitz found little answers for Max Senica's serves, while unforced errors further hurt their cause.
Skipper Muthusamy Appavu remained the backbone for Ahmedabad, as he kept serving up balls in equal measure to all his players, keeping Blitz guessing from where the attack could come. Midway through the game, Ahmedabad began misfiring, and Blitz found an opening. But Muthu's perfect pass to Angamuthu brought a super point in the Defenders' corner and the door was shut as quickly as it was opened.
Leandro kept picking points for Chennai, but Nandagopal and Angamuthu kept control of the outside lines deep into the game. With a resounding win in straight sets, the Defenders proved their title win last year was not a fluke.