PVL 2022: Kolkata Thunderbolts thwart Kochi Blue Spikers 3-2, will take on Calicut Heroes in final four clash

Vinith Kumar's heroics led the Kolkata Thunderbolts to a 3-2 (13-15, 15-11, 15-13, 15-8, 10-15) win against Kochi Blue Spikers in their last group stage match of the ongoing Prime Volleyball League (PVL) at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad on February 23.

With the win, the Thunderbolts finished second in the points table with eight points. Vinith was awarded the Player of the Match for his sheer dominance on the court.

Abdul Raheem produced a good smash to provide the Spikers with a 9-7 lead in the first set. However, Matthew August came in with a brilliant spike as the Thunderbolts won a Super Point to gain a 12-11 lead. Sethu TR and Caldwell helped the Spikers close out the first 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 put on a terrific show to help his team bounce back to win the second set 15-11.

Thunderbolts skipper Ashwal Rai and Rahul K produced fabulous spikes as the team attained a 9-6 lead in the third set. However, Cody Caldwell and Abhinav BS helped the Spikers fetch a 11-9 lead. Thereafter, the Thunderbolts swept two consecutive Super Points to take a 13-11 lead to eventually close out the third set at 15-13.

Rahul and Vinit continued to produce brilliant spikes as the Thunderbolts dominated the fourth set to take a 7-3 lead. Vinit pulled off another fabulous spike to help the Thunderbolts win a Super Point and take a massive lead at 12-7 to seal the fourth set at 15-8.

The Thunderbolts and Blue Spikers scored points in tandem and were tied at 9-9 in the fifth set. Raison Benet Rebello's spectacular serve helped the Spikers win a Super Point to take a 13-10 lead. However, the Karthik-led Spikers eventually closed out the fifth set at 15-10.

Prime Volleyball 2022 (PVL): Semifinals Schedule & Match Timings in IST

(Semifinal 1)

Match: Ahmedabad Defenders vs Hyderabad Black Hawks

Date: February 24, 2022 Timings: 7 pm IST

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(Semifinal 2)

Match: Kolkata Thunderbolts vs Calicut Heroes

Date: February 25, 2022 Timings: 7 pm IST

Streaming details:

The Rupay Prime Volleyball League 2022 is being telecast live on SONY TEN 1 (English), SONY TEN 3 (Hindi), SONY TEN 4 (Tamil & Telugu) & SONY TEN 2 (Malayalam) channels while live streaming is available on Sony LIV.