Hyderabad’s defence was on the mark from the get-go with Trent O’Dea blocking Mumbai Meteors’ skipper Karthik. Guru’s special spike stunned Hiroshi and Hyderabad took an early lead.
But when the going got tough for the Hawks, Guru kept hitting smashes. A three-man block from Mumbai finally put a halt on Guru, and combination play involving Abdul Raheem allowed the Meteors to employ a wave attack and maintain their hold. Unforced errors and over-reliance on Guru did not help Hyderabad’s cause.
As Guru took time off the field to recuperate, Arun Zacharias and Hemanth took the attacking responsibilities for Hyderabad. But Hiroshi, with his offensive play, kept breaking down Hyderabad’s defence. With his powerful play from the service line, Karthik closed out the game and won the match for the Mumbai Meteors to keep them in the hunt for the playoffs.
Kolkata Thunderbolts will be up against Chennai Blitz at the Regional Sports Centre (Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium) on the fourth day of the Kochi leg of the RuPay Prime Volleyball League at 1900 hrs IST on Monday, 27th February 2023.
