Young spikers make TN proud

Tamil Nadu boys volleyball team thrashed Uttar Pradesh to win the mini national championship, while the girls faltered at the final hurdle against West Bengal.

Tamil Nadu volleyball’s future is in safe hands. A vibrant set of boys and girls, who embarked on a trip to Jaunpur (Uttar Pradesh) to participate in the mini national championship late November, came back home with a bag full of rewards.

The girls faltered at the final hurdle as they lost to West Bengal 10-25, 26-24, 25-17, 2025, 12-15.

However, the boys’ team made up for the TN girls’ loss as they thrashed hosts Uttar Pradesh 25-14, 25-18, 25-18 to clinch the title. It wasn’t just about going out there and doing the routine for these young guns, for they had to bear the brunt of bitter cold conditions in UP.

M.P. Murali, coach of the victorious U-14 team, heaped praise on his wards for their “stupendous show”. “The conditions were pretty hard.

In addition to the winter chill, the food wasn’t the same as we are used to here. This win has given our boys a lot of confidence considering the fact that there was hardly any support for us amidst 5,000 spectators at the venue,” he added.

The 35-year-old physical director of NGNG HSS, Pollachi attributed his team’s success to the astute planning ahead of every match.

“The final was our eighth match. We hadn’t played against any of the opposition before this tournament.

Every individual in the team observed the opposition players and came up with suggestions. We devised specific tactics against particular players. It worked wonders during the business end of the event,” said Murali.

Despite winning the cup, the coach said there was a lot of room for improvement. “The UP boys were physically stronger.

Though we won comprehensively, our boys need to improve on their stamina.

Fitness and endurance are vital when they move to the senior category,” added Murali.

S. Krishnamurthy, coach of the girls’ side, was sanguine about women’s volleyball in the state.

“There is greater interest for the game among girls in interior places of the state. I would like to stress the importance of eating nutritious food. Girls in our state need to be educated about eating healthy food so that they can improve their physique and produce better results,” the 39-year-old added.

While Murali lavished praise on setter A.

Aadheeswaran and libero Ajith for his team’s p e r f o r m a n c e , Krishnamurthy rued the injury sustained by skipper M. Gayathri at a critical stage. “She suffered a muscle pull in the fifth set and wasn’t able to carry on.

We lost the decider 12-15. If not for her absence, I’m sure we would have come up trumps,” said Krishnamurthy, physical director of BVB HSS, Erode.