Pro Volleyball League: Chennai Spartans stun Calicut Heroes in final to be crowned first PVL champions

Chennai Spartans snapped the unbeaten streak of Calicut Heroes, posting a 3-0 (15-11, 15-12, 16-14) win in the final to win the inaugural Pro Volleyball League on Friday. The Leagues top scorer and Best Spiker, Rudy Verhoeff, again delivered as he scored 13 points (11 spikes and two blocks). [caption id=“attachment_6138331” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] The victorious Chennai Spartans team celebrates its Pro Volleyball League title. Image courtesy: PVL[/caption] For Calicut, league MVP Ajith Lal was the highest scorer with nine points (nine spikes). By winning the first edition of the league, Chennai Spartans also qualify for the FIVB Asian Men’s Club Volleyball Championship. The first set was close until Chennai went into a 3-point lead at 8-5 entering the first Technical Time Out (TTO). After losing a super point and allowing Calicut Heroes to close the gap, the home team pulled away and took the set 15-11. Calicut, who hadn’t lost a single match this season, started the second set nervously. Chennai didn’t have to work hard for their first four points as three errors from skipper Vinith and one from Karthik gave Chennai a 4-1 lead. For Chennai, Verhoeff was in the form of his life as he scored his 100th point in the league when his side took a 9-6 lead and stayed in front to secure a 2-0 lead. Despite looking rusty, Calicut continued to pose a challenge but Chennai after trailing briefly hit back strongly and took the set and match. Chennai Spartans received Rs 50 lakh for winning the league while Calicut Heroes got Rs 20 lakh.