61st Senior National Volleyball Championship: 13-time champions Railways sneak into quarterfinals

13-time national champions Railways snapped their losing streak, prevailing over Haryana 25-15, 25-19, 27-25 in a crucial Group A clash to sneak into the quarterfinals of the 61st Senior National Volleyball Championship at the Sawai Man Singh Indoor Stadium in Jaipur.

Railways were in a must-win situation after enduring defeats to defending champions Kerala and former champions Tamil Nadu in their first two league encounters.

Desperate times call for desperate measures and Railways brought out their best when it mattered, showcasing potent smashes, robust blocks and nifty drops to pocket the first two sets without much resistance from Haryana.

Haryana did mount a fightback in the third set in a bid to stay in the contest but Railways held their nerves to pull through in the dying moments 27-25.

Haryana were let down by their poor serving even as they were outsmashed and outblocked by Railways.

Meanwhile, in the women’s section, Tamil Nadu chalked up their second win, pipping Karnataka in straight sets in a Group A clash to secure their passage to the quarterfinals.

Results (League Matches):

Men: Group A: Railways bt Haryana 25-15, 25-19, 27-25. Group-B: Punjab bt Karnataka 17-25, 25-17, 22-25, 25-16, 15-13. Group E: Odisha bt Bihar 26-24, 25-21, 25-22; Rajasthan bt Mizoram 25-10, 25-10, 25-16.

Women: Group A: Tamil Nadu bt Karnataka 25-22, 25-22, 25-19. Group-B: Himachal Pradesh bt U.P. 19-25, 25-21, 23-25, 25-23, 15-12. Group C: Haryana bt Odisha 27-25, 25-20, 25-19, 17-25, 15-12. Group E: Jharkhand bt Uttarakhand 25-12, 25-8, 25-14; MP bt Chandigarh 25-18, 27-25, 27-29, 25-23. Group F: Chhattisgarh bt Bihar 25-19, 25-15, 25-11.