National Volleyball Championships: Karnataka men, women enter quarters

KOZHIKODE: Two matches on the opening day, one each on the second and third day, again two high-voltage games on the fourth day. That was the tough schedule handed out to Karnataka men in the 66th Senior National Volleyball Championship here in Kozhikode. But to their credit, Karnataka came unscathed out of their group, winning all their matches to seal a quarterfinal berth in the championship.On Saturday, they accounted for Uttarakhand and Rajasthan.
In their quarterfinal qualifying match against Rajasthan, Karnataka seemed a well-set side as they rolled over their opponents in a three-set affair 25-20, 25-17, 25-17.
Once again, it was captain A Karthik who led from the front for Karnataka. Their attacking was near perfect with Ashwal Rai, Raison Benet Rebelio coming up with some heavy smashes. Anup D’Costa, who had a below-par show in the opening games, regained his form and looked dangerous whenever he jumped high from the back court.
Except in the second set, where Rajasthan fought hard and went on to level scores from 1-1 to 7-7, it was Karnataka all the way. Karnataka setter Vinayaka Rokhade was in sublime touch and he managed his attackers with brilliant setting. Rajasthan skipper and former Indian player Mandeep Singh tried his best but could not shatter Karnataka defence.
But Karanataka had to sweat a lot more in their first match of the day against Uttarakhand as their rivals stretched them to five sets. Karnataka finally prevailed 21-25, 25-16, 22-25, 25-16, 15-9.
Karnataka coach KR Lakshmi Narayana was a happy man after entering knockout. “Ashwal Rai had some injury concerns before Saturday’s matches but he looked great today. We are looking forward to the quarterfinal match against Railways on Sunday,” the coach said.
Karnataka women too entered the knockout stage winning their qualifying playoffs against Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat. In the quarterfinals on Sunday, Kerala men and women will face Haryana teams.
Meanwhile, in Friday's late-night matches, defending champions Kerala women won the last group game against Maharashra 25-12, 25-19, 25-11 and entered the knockout stage as pool winners. In the men's division, former champions Tamil Nadu were beaten by a strong Railways unit in a four-set match. Tamil Nadu tried their best to make a comeback in the match after winning the second set but Railways’ Kerala player Manu Joseph rose to the occasion and guided his team to victory. Railways won25-21, 18-25, 25-22, 25-22, 25-22. Tamil Nadu too, with two win and a loss, made it to quarters finishing second behind Railways.
Results:
Qualifying matches: Karnataka bt Rajasthan 25-20, 25-17, 25-17; Haryana by Gujarat 25-18, 25-20, 25-21; Karnataka bt Uttarakhand 21-25, 25-16,22-25, 25-16, 15-9; Haryana by Himachal Pradesh 25-16, 25-18, 25-21; Women: Karnataka bt Gujarat 25-17, 19-25, 22-25, 25-22, 15-7; Haryana bt Delhi 25-20, 29-27, 25-19, Karnataka bt Uttar Pradesh 25-16, 25-17, 25-8; Haryana bt Andhra Pradesh 21-25, 25-13, 25-14, 25-12.
Quarterfinal line-up
Women: Railways vs Karnataka (1pm); Kerala vs Haryana (3pm); Maharashtra vs West Bengal (5pm); Tamil Nadu vs Telangana (7pm).
Men: Tamil Nadu vs Andhra Pradesh (1pm); Punjab vs Services (3pm); Kerala vs Haryana (5pm); Railways vs Karnataka (7pm).