The Hindu : Sport / Volleyball : Karnataka women in last eight

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Dec 30, 2007
ePaper

Sport

Sport - Volleyball

Karnataka women in last eight

Kirti Patil

JAIPUR: Karnataka women became the lone team from the lower groups to qualify for the quarterfinals when it convincingly won back-to-back matches in the 56th National volleyball championship here on Saturday.

Karnataka first shut out host Rajasthan in the lower group play-off and then blanked last year’s quarterfinalist Delhi to ensure itself a place in next year’s elite groups.

Captain Shaila S. Thomas was the inspiration for Karnataka, while Manjusha V.R. and N. Shwetha scored regular points to steer Karnataka to a 25-20, 25-12, 25-19 win over an error-prone Delhi.

Indian men may not be a force on the international stage but have done well in recent times, and watching them play is pure entertainment.

In the other qualifier, Maharashtra retained its position in the elite group after Punjab troubled it initially.

Quarterfinal line-up

In the quarterfinals, defending champion Railways takes on Maharashtra; last year’s runner-up Kerala meets Karnataka; Tamil Nadu plays Andhra Pradesh and Bengal takes on Chandigarh.

On the men’s side, Karnataka salvaged itself from the scare of relegation as it beat an inspired Andhra Pradesh in four sets.

Andhra Pradesh was on a high after dispatching off a resurgent Rajasthan 23-25, 25-15, 25-18, 25-22 in the play-off match. But Andhra posed a threat to Karnataka only for a while — in the opening set and after winning the third.

The results: Men: Quarterfinal qualifiers: Karnataka beat Andhra Pradesh 25-16, 25-21, 21-25, 25-14. Kerala beat Chhattisgarh 25-17, 25-19, 25-16. Play-off: Andhra Pradesh beat Rajasthan 23-25, 25-15, 25-18, 25-22. Chhattisgarh beat Uttar Pradesh 25-22, 25-19, 25-15.

League: Group D: Rajasthan beat Himachal Pradesh 25-20, 25-15, 25-17. Group F: Uttar Pradesh beat Chandigarh 25-23, 25-20, 22-25, 26-28, 15-10.

Women: Quarterfinal qualifiers: Karnataka beat Delhi 25-20, 25-12, 25-19. Maharashtra beat Punjab 26-28, 25-15, 25-22, 25-8. Play-off: Karnataka beat Rajasthan 25-9, 25-20, 18-25, 25-17. Punjab beat Bihar 21-25, 25-16, 25-23, 25-22.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Sport