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Pune, Jan 19: Tamil Nadu, U.P., Kerala, and West Bengal added a bronze each to their medals tally, with wins in the playoffs of the Khelo India Youth Games volleyball competition at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex here on Saturday.
Uttar Pradesh edged Punjab 22-25, 25-19, 17-25, 25-22, 18-16 in an exciting match to earn bronze in the boys' Under-21 category. Led by Rohit Kumar Bind, UP trailed two sets to one and had a nervy start to the fourth set but hung on to stage a comeback.
In a tense deciding set that saw Punjab save three match points, UP made the most of the fourth to clinch the bronze. After a strong start to their campaign, Punjab lost three matches in a row as they saw bronze slip away from them too.
In the girls’ Under-21 category, hosts Maharashtra were no match for West Bengal who cruised to a 25-6, 25-20, 25-19 win to clinch the bronze medal. West Bengal set the tone with an 8-0 lead in the first set and Maharashtra were unable to catch up.
They put up a better fight in the second and third sets, but West Bengal, who was unfazed by the crowd constantly cheering on the hosts, was tactically far stronger on the day.
Tamil Nadu and Kerala faced off in both Boys’ and Girls’ under-17 bronze medal match. While Kerala were victorious in the Girls’ tie, Tamil Nadu’s boys exacted revenge on them and earned bronze.
Kerala’s U-17 girls' team beat Tamil Nadu in three tight sets. Tamil Nadu fought hard all the way but Kerala held their nerves during crucial phases in the match to eventually prevail 25-23, 26-24, 25-23. Kerala would have been relieved to win after losing a close semi-final battle to hosts Maharashtra.
In the boys’ Under-17 playoff, Tamil Nadu recovered from a slow start to beat Kerala. Kerala sealed the first set 25-20, but Tamil Nadu soon found momentum and never let go as they won by a 20-25, 25-16, 25-12, 25-21 scoreline.
Kerala and Tamil Nadu will look to add to their medals tally as they face off in both boys’ and girls’ Under-21 volleyball finals on Sunday.
Results (bronze medal playoffs):
Girls’ Under-17: Kerala beat Tamil Nadu 25-23 26-24 25-23
Girls’ Under-21: West Bengal beat Maharashtra 25-6 25-20 25-19
Boys’ Under-17: Tamil Nadu beat Kerala 20-25 25-16 25-12 25-21
Boys’ Under-21: Uttar Pradesh beat Punjab 22-25 25-19 17-25 25-22 18-16
