Date:26/12/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/26/stories/2008122656851700.htm

Sport - Volleyball

Karnataka women beat AP, enter semifinals

Special Correspondent

— Photo: K.R. Deepak

BROOKS NO CHALLENGE: Karnataka’s A.N. Ashwini tries to smash the ball past AP players in the Senior National volleyball championship in Visakhapatnam on Thursday.

VISAKHAPATNAM: Karnataka women sailed past Andhra Pradesh to become the first team to enter the semifinals of the Senior National volleyball championships at the Port indoor stadium here on Thursday evening.

N. Shwetha and S.T. Ramya lifted their game as Karnataka dominated the last three sets. Karnataka won 24-26, 20-25, 25-20, 25-19, 15-10.

AP rallied from a 3-9 deficit to win the second set as M. Anita and L. Anitha Reddy scored quick points as the set was coming to and end.

But Shwetha and Ramya changed the trend as the third set commenced. AP’s 7-3 lead vanished quickly and though it levelled the score at 10 and 13 Karnataka asserted itself.

It led throughout the fourth set and in the decider AP could manage to level the score at 6-6 but Karnataka continued to lead and Shwetha with her telling smashes brought the last five points for her team.

Holder Kerala women defeated Tamil Nadu 26-24, 25-21, 25-14 in the quarterfinals.

Holder Haryana, which finished at the bottom of Pool A league, made the last eight after beating Maharashtra in the quarterfinals qualifying match.

Friday’s quarterfinals line-up: Women: West Bengal vs. Chandigarh and Railways vs. Maharashtra. Men: Uttarakhand vs. Haryana; Kerala vs. Railways; Services vs. Punjab and Tamil Nadu vs. Karnataka.

The results of quarterfinals qualifying: Men: Haryana bt Maharashtra 25-16, 25-9, 25-14; Karnataka bt UP 25-21, 25-17, 25-17.

Women: Maharashtra bt UP 25-22, 25-16, 25-23; Chandigarh bt Punjab 23-25, 25-20, 25-19, 21-25, 15-13.

Men’s playoff match: Maharashtra bt Chhattisgarh 20-25, 19-25, 25-19, 25-15, 15-13.