Bengaluru Torpedoes kept their hopes of qualifying for the playoff round well and truly alive following their stunning 3-2 (15-11, 15-11, 13-15, 10-15, 15-14) win over Calicut Heroes in Match 26 of the RuPay Prime Volleyball League Powered by A23 Season 2.

Such was the intensity of the game that it went all the way to the final point of the final set to decide the winner. Bengaluru, who won the first two sets in convincing fashion, lost the plot in the middle as Calicut continued to pick points from their opponent’s unforced errors.

Thanks to a tactically upgraded defence, Calicut almost took home the win, but a timely block from Alireza Abalooch towards the end sent the Bengaluru fans into a frenzy. Despite the loss, however, Calicut Heroes still qualified for the semi-final, becoming the third team after Ahmedabad Defenders and Kolkata Thunderbolts to do so.

Bengaluru, on their part, are now largely reliant on the result of the match between Mumbai Meteors and Kochi Blue Spikers on March 1.

A game full of errors

While the excitement during the game was at its peak, both Bengaluru Torpedoes and Calicut Heroes struggled to be efficient. Right from the start, unforced errors defined the game. Take the second set for instance; the two teams were responsible for as many as four errors from service alone.

By the end of the game, Bengaluru were accountable for a whopping 20 errors while the figure was 19 for Calicut.

Sheer teamwork

Bengaluru looked confident right from the beginning. The players were aware of the fact that anything but a win would end their journey right away and the team combined really well to put on an exciting show. This can be understood by the fact that as many as four Bengaluru players tallied more than five points.

As for Calicut, they seemed largely reliant on Vinith Jerome and Jose Antonio Sandoval’s returns. If not for the duo, the team would have evidently struggled for points.

Alireza Abalooch’s under-the-radar performance

It must be noted that Alireza Abalooch did not start the game for Bengaluru Torpedoes. However, he was brought on in the first set itself and the 24-year-old went on to outscore all of his teammates to finish with an impressive 12 points; nine of which came in the attack and three were tallied from the blocks. He ended his night with an efficiency of 28.57 percent.