Kochi, 26th February 2023: Mumbai Meteors earned themselves a lifeline in the second season of the RuPay Prime Volleyball League powered by A23 with a 14-15, 15-9, 15-12, 15-11, 15-8 win over the Hyderabad Black Hawks at the Regional Sports Centre, Kochi on Sunday. Hiroshi Centelles was named the Player of the Match.
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.
Hiroshi’s presence added a new flair to Mumbai’s attacks. But Sujan involved Trent and Vignesh in the attack, freeing up Guru to make moments of magic and Hawks took control of the match. Brandon Greenway started showcasing his aggressive streak and with his help, Hiroshi turned it around for Mumbai.
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.
The RuPay Prime Volleyball League powered by A23 will be telecast LIVE on Sony Sports Ten 1 (English), Sony Sports Ten 3 (Hindi), Sony Sports Ten 4 (Tamil & Telugu) & Sony Sports Ten 2 (Malayalam) channels in India and will be streamed on Volleyball World TV outside the Indian subcontinent, starting February 4, Saturday.
For all match statistics, click here:https://en.volleyballworld.com/volleyball/competitions/prime-volleyball-league-2023/statistics/
For match and practice images from the RuPay Prime Volleyball League, Click Here –
About RuPay Prime Volleyball League : RuPay Prime Volleyball league powered by A23 is India’s only private sports league in India. After successfully completing Season 1 in February 2022, the league is back with Season 2. Season 2 of RuPay Prime Volleyball League is scheduled to take place between 4th February – 5th March 2023. This will also be the first time the league will feature in front of passionate sports fans across Bengaluru, Hyderabad & Kochi. For PVL Season 2, the commercial arm of the global body of Volleyball (Fédération Internationale de Volley Ball, FIVB), Volleyball World has joined hands with PVL coming on board as the International streaming partners in a multiyear association. Sony Sports Network continues to be the host broadcaster & the fans are looking forward to the exciting 31 games to be played in Season 2 of RuPay Prime Volleyball League powered by A23.
About RuPay : RuPay, the flagship product of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) came on board last year as the title sponsor of the Prime Volleyball League and has acquired the title sponsorship rights for three years.
