Ahmedabad Defenders got their first win of the RuPay Prime Volleyball League Powered by A23 Season 2 by beating Bengaluru Torpedoes 3-2 (14-15, 15-10, 14-15, 15-10, 15-10) in a nerve-wracking contest.

Led by Muthusamy Appavu, Ahmedabad made a slow start to the game. Although the early momentum was good, it looked like Bengaluru were a step ahead.

The two teams exchanged quick points early in the first set, with Bengaluru leading for the most part. And while they did make a few unforced errors, Ahmedabad were no better.

As the game progressed, however, Ahmedabad made sure they had enough in the tank to go all out in the final two sets.

Having said that, let’s take a look at three key moments that defined this nail-biting fixture.

Should Ahmedabad rely so much on Danial Moatazedi’s service potential?

Danial Moatazedi’s contribution is simply unmatched. The Ahmedabad number 6 made some crucial blocks and was equally effective in his spikes, but one thing that lacked in his performance was his ability to gather points from the launch.

The middle-blocker was more often than not tasked to serve early on, but his efficiency was substandard. In fact, the 31-year-old made two errors from four attempts leading to the suggestion that Ahmedabad Defenders might as well look for an alternative.

What’s happening to Ahmedabad Defenders?

For a team that finished second last season, a performance such as this is a mere shadow of their previous self. Although the team did not make many errors to begin with, it’s just that they are being the victims of the standards they set last year.

The team, especially in the second set, was ailed by a plethora of unforced errors. In fact, by the end of the second period they were helped by as many as 12 errors made by Bengaluru.

Towards the third set, the number went up to 19. While it did say a lot about Bengaluru’s position, one must admit that if Ahmedabad Defenders are to aim for the title this year then they must up their ante across all positions.

Tsvetelin Tsvetanov is the real deal

Ibin Jose’s performance for Bengaluru Torpedoes grabbed everyone’s attention but what went under the radar was the return of Tsvetelin Tsvetanov.

The Bulgarian outside hitter was extremely efficient for his side in the attack, tallying a total of 18 points - the most by any player involved in the game. In fact, 15 of his 18 points came in attack alone while two came from blocking and one from service.