Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium: Mumbai Meteors edged out the Ahmedabad Defenders in a five-set thriller in the Super 5s stage of the Prime Volleyball League, picking up a 15-8, 13-15, 7-15, 16-14, 15-13 win at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium, here on Thursday. Shikhar Singh was at the heart of Ahmedabad’s defence, justifying his selection in the starting line-up over veteran Manoj. Player of the Match Amit and Shubham started attacking from outside lines to take Shikhar out of the equation.
Unforced errors by Ahmedabad allow the Meteors to gain momentum. Ahmedabad’s risky move of substituting Muthu proved costly, and Mumbai took an early lead.
Muthusamy and Angaumuthu’s returns to court provided Ahmedabad with attacking flair. Amit and Shubham tested Ahmedabad’s defence with spicy attacks. Shon T. John began helping Ahmedabad gain momentum with his all-round display, and the Defenders opened the doors for a comeback. Shameem kept Mumbai’s attacks going from the middle, but Shon T kept Ahmedabad’s spirits high, and the Defenders took a 2-1 lead.
Shikhar and Ilya shackled Mumbai attackers but Amit’s incessant attacks kept the Meteors in the hunt. A couple of errors from Ahmedabad favoured Mumbai, pushing the game to the fifth set.
Amit started finding ways around tall blockers, helping Mumbai. Angamuthu’s spikes and Max Senica’s super serve put pressure on the Meteors, but Aditya’s monster block on Shon T helped Mumbai clinch a thrilling win.
