Prime Volleyball League: Ahmedabad Defenders beat hosts Chennai Blitz in straight sets

NEW DELHI: Defending Champions Ahmedabad Defenders kicked of their RuPay Prime Volleyball League season 3 campaign with straight sets win over hosts Chennai Blitz on Thursday.

Skipper Muthusamy Appavu starred for the Defenders as the visitors eased past Blitz 15-10, 15-11, 15-12 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium.

The Defenders did not get off to the best of starts, with Leandro Jose combining with skipper Akhin GS. But the momentum turned for Ahmedabad after a quick advice from coach Dragan Mihailovic.

Ilya Burau made up for the absence of Danial Moatazedi, with stunning smashes down the right channel. Blitz found little answers for Max Senica's serves, while unforced errors further hurt their cause.

Skipper Appavu remained the backbone for Ahmedabad, as he kept serving up balls in equal measure to all his players, keeping Blitz guessing from where the attack could come from.

Midway through the game, Ahmedabad began misfiring, and Blitz found an opening. But Muthu's perfect pass to Angamuthu brought a super point in the Defenders' corner and the door was shut as quickly as it was opened.

Leandro kept earning pickings points for Chennai, but Nandagopal, and Angamuthu kept control of the outside lines deep into the game. With a resounding win in straight sets, the Defenders proved their title win was not a fluke.