PVL 2024: Chennai brings joy to home crowd with a straight-set victory over Hyderabad

Hyderabad Black Hawks felt the absence of its mainstay Guru Prasanth as it lost to Chennai Blitz in a Prime Volleyball League clash at the SDAT multi-purpose indoor stadium on Saturday.

Coming on the back of a loss to the Ahmedabad Defenders, Chennai had a lot to prove in front of its home crowd and did so in style. Although Hemanth P claimed the opening point at the net, Chennai eventually caught up. Sameer Chaudhary and Dhilip Kumar’s gusty strikes ensured the home team maintained a slight lead of 11-9. Hyderabad’s super point pulled things level at 12-12, but Chennai ultimately pocketed the first set.

Chennai managed to spot empty gaps in the second set and started targeting Hyderabad’s libero, Deepu Venugopal. Additionally, desperation saw the Black Hawks register frequent errors. Douglas Bueno’s super serve and Ashamat Ullah’s failed reception ensured Chennai was in a comfortable spot, which eventually led to the home team clinching the set 15-11.

Raman Kumar also joined the ambush as the point gap between the teams increased, with Chennai running away with the lead. The Black Hawks’ shoulders had started to droop even as the home team easily warded off challenges from Ivan Jose Fernandez Anez. A successful review of Sameer’s two-handed push ended Hyderabad’s chance to earn two points as Chennai ended the match 15-7 with a straight-set verdict.

Result: Chennai Blitz bt Hyderabad Black Hawks 3-0 (16-14, 15-11, 15-7).