61st Senior National Volleyball Championship: Tamil Nadu pip defending champions Kerala to top Group A

The 61st Senior National Volleyball Championship witnessed a major upset as defending champions Kerala were halted in their tracks by Tamil Nadu 19-25, 25-20, 24-26, 26-28 at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium in Jaipur.

Tamil Nadu, who were shocked by Uttarakhand in last year’s semifinals, has thus topped Group A with this win.

Kerala, who have entered the tournament with a relatively young side, featuring only two internationals – Vibin M. George and Tom Joseph – were up against a Tamil Nadu side which unleashed strong blocks and power-packed smashes to unsettle them.

Tamil Nadu showed nerves of steel and won the crucial points on a consistent basis and that in the end proved decisive.

Meanwhile, in the women’s section, defending champions Railways and last year’s runners-up Kerala topped their respective groups.

Results (League Matches):

Men: Group ‘A’: TN bt Kerala 25-19, 20-25, 26-24, 28-26; Group ‘C’: AP bt J & K 25-8, 25-12, 25-12; Group ‘D’: Assam bt Chandigarh 25-19, 25-19, 25-13; Group ‘E’: Rajasthan bt Odisha 25-22, 25-16, 20-25, 25-16.

Women: Group ‘A’: Railways bt AP 25-14, 25-14, 25-15; Group ‘B’: Kerala bt WB 25-12,25-17, 25-17. Group ‘C’: Haryana bt Maharashtra 26-24, 23-25, 25-11, 25-13; Odisha bt Gujarat 25-17, 25-23, 25-27, 25-22. Group ‘D’: Punjab bt Rajasthan 25-23, 23-25, 25-18, 25-11. Group ‘E’: Jharkhand bt Madhya Pradesh 25-23, 25-21, 22-25, 26-24.