Sivanthi Club and Customs take honours

Sports Reporter

Chennai: Sivanthi Volleyball Club clinched the women’s title in the GKM State-level tournament in thrilling fashion, beating GKM Foundation 23-25, 25-13, 25-21, 24-26, 19-17 in the final round-robin match here on Sunday.

Later, Chennai Customs claimed the men’s title, beating Indian Bank 23-25, 25-18, 22-25, 25-14, 15-11 in the final.

The women’s league ended with three teams — Sivanthi, GKM and Tamil Nadu Police — tied on two wins each, with Sivanthi pipping the other two to the crown on the basis of its superior points quotient (the ratio of points accrued over the tournament to points conceded). GKM took the second place.

Fittingly, the championship was decided by the tightest game of the tournament. Sivanthi at times suffered from lack of organisation, but pulled things together at critical moments, with Janani, who excelled in a middle blocker-cum-outside hitter role, often providing the final touch.

After a seesaw ride through the first four sets, Sivanthi found itself 12-7 down in the fifth. After winning back serve thanks to a first-time smash from Janani, Sivanthi drew level to 12-all.

Following that, the lead oscillated all the way to 17-all before Sivanthi skipper Jeyabharathi ended things with two composed winners, a cushioned block and a dink behind the GKM forward line.