Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium: Chennai Blitz kept their Super 5s hopes alive with a commanding 16-14, 15-11, 15-13 win over the Bengaluru Torpedoes in the third season of the Prime Volleyball League (PVL) at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium on Friday.
Raman Kumar and Player of the Match Dhilip Kumar provided Chennai with an edge, while the Torpedoes tried to counter the attacking threat through Mujeeb's blocks.
Chennai's strategy to keep Sethu off the baseline helped them control play and Leandro Jose's super served helped the home side. Coach Dakshinamoorthy's combination play involving Joe, Akhin and Dhilip helped Chennai take an early lead.
Despite Ibin's firing power, the Torpedoes kept finding themselves trailing, with unforced errors hurting their momentum. Leandro found another Super Serve to rock Bengaluru's defence and the Blitz found themselves in complete control. Sethu's spikes left a lot to be desired on the night and the Blitz maintained their dominance.
Chennai relied on Leandro's big arm on the night to provide fire in the middle, despite Jishnu proving to be a good substitute blocker for Bengaluru again. Mujeeb began turning things around for Bengaluru with an all-round display, reigniting his side's hopes. But Akhin's presence in the middle kept the momentum stable for Chennai. Despite Ibin's aggressive play from the service line, Chennai earned the win in straight sets.