Kerala set up Tamil Nadu showdown in semis

KOZHIKODE: Thirty-eight-year-old CK Ratheesh, who is a veteran of many a battle, showed the guile, speed and reflexes of a 20-year-old to power Kerala into the semifinals of 66th Senior National Volleyball Championship for men and women here on Sunday with a hard-fought win over Haryana. Ratheesh dived around court to pick-up Haryana smashes while his reception was sublime as Kerala prevailed 30-32, 25-21, 25-18, 25-22.
After playing one of the longest first sets in the tournament, which Kerala lost at 30-32, the hosts made a remarkable comeback as captain Jerome C Vinith, P Rohith, C Ajith Lal and GS Akhin came up the goods when it mattered for Kerala.
But it was Ratheesh who stole the hearts of thousands of spectators with a fine show. Kerala's defence was below par in the first set. Haryana's Sube Singh, Shubham Saini and Rohit Kumar split the Kerala defence with powerful shots. But Kerala regrouped after the loss of first set and booked their semifinal showdown with Tamil Nadu on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Kerala women didn't have to break too much sweat in booking their last-four berth as they beat Haryana in straight sets 25-16, 25-13, 25-14. Except Nisha Sheokand and Sahil Lamba's brilliance in reception and attacking, Haryana side could not pose much of a threat against the hosts. Anju Balakrishnan, S Rekha, Sruthi M and setter Jini KS continued their good form for Kerala. Kerala women will meet Tamil Nadu women in the semifinal on Monday.
Earlier in the first men's quarterfinal, Tamil Nadu men, who had to skip their lunch thanks to a 1pm start for their match, had to fight till the last moment against Andhra Pradesh before marching into semis with a 29-27, 22-25, 25-20, 23-25, 19-17 win. After playing all their group matches at midnight, last year's runners-up Tamil Nadu looked tired outfit. A straight-set win would have been a great relief for the former champions, but Andhra Pradesh gave them a run for their money.
After losing the first set at 27-29, Andhra Pradesh was not ready give up easily. They won the second set in a dominating manner but TN men came back to win the third set with ease. Andhra Pradesh bagged the fourth set to make it 2-2.
The deciding set was a thrilling affair. If Tamil Nadu's attack was good, with captain Anand Raj and T Sathriyan finding form, Andhra Pradesh's veteran Subba Rao had an error-free day in blocking to keep his team in the game. AP levelled the scores at 13-13, 14-14, 15-15, 16-16 and 17-17 but could not stop Tamil Nadu from booking their semis berth.
TN captain Anand said they didn't expect the match to be a five-set affair. "It was a tough game and we were tired too. They played well and we fought like it's our final game of the event. We are happy that we will have a day off on Monday," said Anand after the match.
In another nail-biting encounter, Service men overcame Punjab in a five-set thriller. After losing first two sets, Punjab came back into the game winning next two but went down fighting 22-25, 21-25, 25-23, 25-22, 13-15.
In the last match on Sunday, Railways men shattered Karanataka's semifinal hopes in a one-sided match 25-17, 25-23, 25-18. In the women's last quarterfinal, Tamil Nadu defeated Telangana 25-21, 25-13, 25-19.
In another women's quarterfinal, defending champions Railways continued their unbeaten run in the event as they made it to the last-four stage in a convincing manner beating Karnataka in straight sets 25-13, 25-14, 25-16.
Quarterfinal results: Men: Tamil Nadu bt Andhra Pradesh 29-27, 22-25, 25-20, 23-25, 19-17; Services bt Punjab 22-25, 21-25, 25-23, 25-22, 13-15; Kerala bt Haryana 30-32, 25-21, 25-18, 25-22; Railways bt Karanataka 25-17, 25-23, 25-18; Women: Railways bt Karnataka 25-13, 25-14, 25-16; Kerala bt Haryana 25-16, 25-13, 25-14; Maharashtra bt West Bengal 22-25, 25-17, 25-15, 25-15; Tamil Nadu bt Telangana 25-21, 25-13, 25-19.