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The sixth match of the RuPay Pro Volleyball League 2019 saw the Chennai Spartans face off against the Black Hawks Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium in Kochi, Kerala on Thursday.
Chennai Spartans won their first game of the season overcoming the Black Hawks Hyderabad with a 4-1 margin, opening their account in the Pro Volleyball League proceedings.
Chennai's Naveen Raja Jacob was the highest scoring player on the team with 16 points, ably supported by Ruslans Sorokins (13 points) and Rudy Verhoeff (10 points).
Black Hawks Hyderabad got off to a scintillating start, with Carson Clark scoring the first two points en route to taking the side to a 5-0 lead in quick time. Chennai Spartans pulled a couple of points back but the Black Hawks used their strong service game to stay ahead at 8-2, before going into the mid-set technical timeout.
Chennai did well to cut back the lead, banking on a couple of errors from the Hyderabad players and cut it down to two after they won the Super Point at 10-8. Rudy Verhoeff and Akhin GS proved to be crucial for the Spartans as they mounted a stunning comeback from 1-6 to win the set with a 15-12 scoreline.
The second set saw the Chennai Spartans start off on a bright note, bolstered by their first set comeback, taking a quick 5-1 lead in the set. Naveen Raja Jacob converted three spikes as the Spartans took an 8-4 lead before the timeout.
Hyderabad produced a couple of strong points to make it all square at 10-10, winning the Super Point called by the Spartans. The Spartans maintained their composure despite the pressure and thwarted the comeback attempt by the Black Hawks Hyderabad to claim the second set as well with a 15-12 score. Rudy Verhoeff and Ruslans Sorokins got the last two points with thundering spikes, beating the Black Hawks defence.
It was a close contest from the get-go in the third set with the two teams scoring in tandem, capitalizing on errors. Chennai Spartans' attacker, Ruslans Sorokins landed a Super Serve to take his side to an 8-5 lead going into the timeout. Black Hawks Hyderabad played a Super Point after the timeout and Chennai skipper Shelton Moses fudged his serve to allow them to cut the deficit to one point.
Chennai used their Super Point at an opportune time to head into the lead and gain momentum as they went all the way to win the third set and ensure they got their first win of the season. Chennai Spartans wrapped up the third set at 15-11 to clinch the three points.
Chennai Spartans kept the momentum going into the fourth set and ran into a 6-3 lead, banking on a couple of smart spikes by Ruslans Sorokins. The Black Hawks Hyderabad side tried to stay close on the heels of their opponents by picking up timely points but the Spartans maintained their lead. Chennai Spartans pulled away to 12-10 on the scoreboard to pile on the misery on the Black Hawks and make it 4-0 on the night with a 15-10 set win.
Chennai Spartans got the final set underway to a thrilling start by running into a 5-1 lead after a couple of strong points by Ruslans Sorokins, but the Hyderabad side pulled their socks up and cut the lead down to one point with a surge of their own.
It was 8-6 in favour of the Chennai side going into the technical timeout as the Black Hawks aimed to avoid the first 5-0 set whitewash of the season. It was close throughout as the two sides scored on their opponents' Super Point. Black Hawks Hyderabad managed to capitalize on a couple of errors from the Chennai Spartans and won the final set 15-13 to end the match.
Impact Player - Naveen Raja Jacob (Chennai Spartans)
Chennai Spartans' attacker, Naveen Raja Jacob was the top scoring player for the team with a tally of 16 points, which included 12 spike points and four points from the service line. He was a consistent performer through the five sets, proving the key for their first win of the season.
Black Hawks Hyderabad take to the court again tomorrow when they face the Kochi Blue Spikers. Chennai Spartans will enjoy a few days rest until Monday when they play the Kochi Blue Spikers.
