Mumbai Meteors edge Chennai Blitz to secure semifinal berth in Prime Volleyball League
Mumbai Meteors booked their semifinal berth in the Prime Volleyball League with a hard-fought 3-1 win over Chennai Blitz in Hyderabad. Mathias Loftesnes starred for Mumbai, while Shubham’s super spike clinched the marathon fourth set.
HYDERABAD: Mumbai Meteors defeated the Chennai Blitz 16-14, 11-15, 15-12, 21-19 in the RR Kabel Prime Volleyball League powered by Scapia at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium here on Monday to book a spot in the semi-finals.
Mathias Loftesnes was named the Player of the Match.
Chennai setter Sameer straightaway went towards Jerome Vinith and Luiz Perotto to make the attacks, whlile Mumbai captain Amit Gulia attacked from the center. Chennai defended well with middle blocker Azizbek on court but Amit kept finding gaps. Mathias did well to keep the pressure up on the Blitz and with Om Lad Vasant’s timely block, Mumbai won the first set.
Tarun started leading the counter-attack for Chennai while the Blitz’ supreme defence kept making it harder for the Meteors to find gaps. Suraj Chaudhary’s confident block on Amit shifted the momentum, and Perotto’s super serve put pressure on Mumbai. Despite a good fightback from Mumbai, Chennai held their nerve to level the game.
Chennai’s libero T Srikanth thrilled the crowd with his impressive defensive performance. But blocker Karthik’s presence brought stability back to Mumbai’s defence. Petter Ostvik’s all-round display helped Mumbai’s cause. Despite service pressure from Perotto, the Meteors managed to held their nerves. With Loftesnes’ attack from the middle zone, Mumbai regained their lead.
In the fourth set, two crucial reviews went in Mumbai’s favour, solidifying their lead. Perotto and Jerome continued to lead Chennai’s fightback. At a crucial juncture Karthik and Shubham combined to block Tarun, earning the Meteors an important point. The marathon set ended with Shubham’s super spike and Mumbai claimed a 3-1 win.
