The Calicut Heroes stunned the Delhi Toofans in the Final of the third season of the Prime Volleyball League powered, picking a 15-13, 15-10, 13-15, 15-12 win at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium, Chennai on Thursday to lift their maiden trophy.
The Delhi defence began well, cancelling out Calicut's aggressive attacks. Lazar Dodic and Santhosh showcased their attacking prowess, but a series of serve errors from Delhi allowed Calicut to cover the deficit. Vikas Maan made solid blocks while Jerome Vinith contributed in Calicut's defence. Perotto's magical super serve helped the Calicut Heroes get an early lead in the match.
Delhi began to attack from the middle, engaging Aayush and Aponza, while Calicut relied on Jerome and Chirag attacking from opposite ends. Danial's monster block on Dodic motivated Calicut. Delhi did not help themselves with unforced errors and Calicut starting sailing. Danial made two crucial blocks on Delhi attackers, and Calicut Heroes took a 2-0 lead.
Santhosh found himself shackled by Danial while Perotto remained aggressive on the attack. Two crucial blocks from Aponza and Manoj reignited Delhi to win the third set. Mukesh became an unlikely hero for Delhi while Rohit's electric serves tested Calicut. But in the fourth set, Jerome cancelled out Delhi's defence with vicious hits from the right and Calicut picked up a mammoth win.
After the match, Calicut Heroes players and coaches celebrated on the court with their loved ones. Calicut had finished in the top position with 12 points in 8 games in the league stage. They had also finished on top in Super 5s stage with 6 points.
Full list of the award winners
{{/usCountry}}After the match, Calicut Heroes players and coaches celebrated on the court with their loved ones. Calicut had finished in the top position with 12 points in 8 games in the league stage. They had also finished on top in Super 5s stage with 6 points.
Full list of the award winners
{{/usCountry}}Player of the Match: Jerome Vinith (Calicut Heroes)
GameChanger of the Match: Luis Perotto (Calicut Heroes)
Best Spiker of the Season: Jerome Vinith (Calicut Heroes)
Emerging Player of the Season: Chirag Yadav (Calicut Heroes)
Best Blocker: Danial Aponza (Delhi Toofans)
Most Innovative Setter: Mohan Ukkrapandian (Calicut Heroes)
Best Libero: Anand K (Delhi Toofans)
Coach of the Season: Manoj Nair (Delhi Toofans)
Fairplay Award: Bengaluru Torpedoes
Most Valuable Player: Jerome Vinith