Punjab keeps Uttar Pradesh at bay

By Our Sports Reporter

GURGAON, DEC. 29. Punjab was stretched by Uttar Pradesh and it took some fortification of the attack line to quell the challenge in a boys' quarterfinal of the National junior volleyball championship at the Nehru Stadium here on Friday.

Punjab had looked the better of the two teams before this match, but ran into a side that took its game a notch or two higher with sheer determination. Punjab won 25-22, 20-25, 25-19, 18-25, 15-11 in a match that saw one set keener than the other.

After the first two competitive sets, in which the scores went neck and neck, were shared, Punjab came back strongly to lead 12- 7 and 22-14 before taking the third set. But Uttar Pradesh matched its ability to bounce back, going ahead from 8-8 in the fourth.

Taking the court for the decider, the body language of the Uttar Pradesh players looked better, but Punjab took an early lead of three points (8-5) and kept the opposition at bay. Punjab's main spiker Jasdeep Singh came up with some fine smashes that tilted the favour in his teams favour.

Jasdeep, who had done well earlier too, was supported by Gurpreet Singh and Jaskanwal Singh, who blocked well. The teams attack was good, but the defence could do well only in patches, not because it lacked ability, but because it seemed hassled when pushed by the rival attackers.

For Uttar Pradesh, captain Sudhakar Singh played a good all-round game, with Hemendra Kumar Singh, Anand Sharma and Sudhakar (Jr.) coming up time and again to the team's rescue.

In the semifinals, Punjab will clash with the neighbouring State and host outfit Haryana, which scored a comfortable 25-19, 25-16, 25-23 win over Karnataka. Sanjay, Rampal and Surjit did well for the winning team, which called the shots throughout.

Defending champion Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh will lock horns in the other match of the penultimate round. Tamil Nadu beat last year's runner-up Pondicherry in straight sets, while Andhra Pradesh took even lesser time to beat Delhi.

In the girls semifinals, defending champion Tamil Nadu will take on Haryana, which has been the revelation of the championship, while West Bengal will take on last year's runner- up Kerala.

The results (quarterfinals):

Boys: Andhra Pradesh bt Delhi 25-15, 25-16, 25- 18; Tamil Nadu bt Pondicherry 25-8, 25-20, 25-21; Haryana bt Karnataka 25-19, 25- 16, 25-23; Punjab bt Uttar Pradesh 25-22, 20- 25, 25-19, 18-25, 15-11.

Girls: Haryana bt Delhi 25-16, 25-13, 25-13; West Bengal bt Andhra Pradesh 25-22, 25-6, 25-14; Tamil Nadu bt Maharashtra 25- 12, 25-22, 25-14; Kerala bt Uttar Pradesh 25-16, 26-28, 25-14, 25-21.

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