Defending champions Kolkata Thunderbolts booked a place in the RuPay Prime Volleyball League Powered by A23 Season 2 playoffs after an impressive 4-1 (15-12, 15-9, 15-14, 15-13, 10-15) win over a dispirited Chennai Biltz side.
Kolkata were a class apart right from the start while Chennai, on their part, largely struggled to get a grip. The team from Tamil Nadu did get a consolation in the final set but that was the only positive they could take from the entire match.
As for Kolkata, the win made them the second team to go through the playoffs and their next contest, against Ahmedabad Defenders, will determine which team will finish at the top of the league standings.
All too easy for Kolkata
Chennai Blitz never really put on a strong fight, to say the least. They started the game on the backfoot and had no answers to Kolkata’s supremacy throughout the match. Their defence, in particular, scrambled more often than not while dealing with Kolkata’s ferocious attacks and this can be understood by the fact that the Ashwal Rai-led side tallied 38 points in the attack and the figure was 32 for Chennai.
Kolkata were on top in terms of blocking as well. Thanks to a sturdy defence, the team accrued 9 block points as compared to Chennai's 8.
Quiet night for Akhin
Chennai Blitz’s Akhin GS has arguably been their best performer this season. The lanky middle-blocker has had a brilliant season on an individual level but on Monday, the 31-year-old looked far from being his usual self.
Akhin looked low on confidence throughout the contest as he finished his night with a mere two points and an efficiency of -17.65 percent. Interestingly enough, he made more errors in the attack (3) than he scored points (1).
Two teams operating on different wavelengths
The Kolkata Thunderbolts side was in a league of its own. The team dominated the proceedings right from the beginning and although the final set was lost, they sent the message loud and clear that it is going to take a lot for their opponents to snatch the title.
On the contrary, Chennai’s display was anything but exuberant. Prasanna Raja’s men looked weary and lost at times as they simply couldn’t cope with Kolkata’s attacking superiority.