In the fifth match of the inaugural season of the Rupay Pro Volleyball League, Kochi Blue Spikers continued their winning campaign and defeated Ahmedabad Defenders on Wednesday to win their second consecutive match. Kochi Blue Spikers defeated Ahmedabad Defenders 3-2 (10-15, 15-11, 11-15, 15-12, 15-12) in their second match of the league.
Thanks to the win, Kochi Blue Spikers moved to the top two spot in the points table. The Blue Spikers have four points from two matches and are sitting pretty in the second position. The Calicut Heroes team is at the top, with four points from two matches.
Olympic gold medal winner David Lee got 10 points, including 7 spikes and 2 blocks for the Kochi side. On the other hand, Victor Syosev was the top scorer for the losing Ahmedabad Defenders team with 13 points (11 spikes and 2 blocks).
In this match played at Kochi, the Defenders took the lead initially by winning the first set 15-10. However, Kochi came back in the second set and won the set 15-11. The Ahmedabad franchise then regained the lead in the match after winning the third set 15-11. But Kochi again made a great comeback, winning the fourth set 15-12 and levelled the match 2-2. Kochi won the fifth and decisive set by 15-12 to win the match 3-2 and register their second consecutive victory in the league.
The man of the match, Mohan Ukkrapandian, said in the post-match press conference,
I am happy to get out on top. We (Ranjit Singh) have been playing together for last 6 years and therefore, know each other quite well.
Kochi Blue Spikers will next play Black Hawks Hyderabad on February 8, whereas Ahmedabad Defenders will play Calicut Heroes on February 13.