Mixed luck for Kerala spikers

Triprayar, April 11: Contrary to expectations, hosts Kerala girls fell an easy prey to the guiles of Railways and caved in without a figh...

Triprayar, April 11: Contrary to expectations, hosts Kerala girls fell an easy prey to the guiles of Railways and caved in without a fight, in straight sets at the National. Volleyball super league at the TSGA Stadium here today.

Railways won 25-19, 25-20, 25-18 to maintain their supremacy.Kerala were always in arrears in the first set. The four Railway veterans, Salomy Ramu, Hemalatha, captain Sangita and setter Vaishali Phatdare, were in their elements. Salomi, 33, the eldest of the quartet, sent some devastating smashes, targetting the weak backcourt defenders. Anu Jacob, not recovering completely from a stomach ailment, still managed to beat the Railway blockers for some points. However, barring Shiji Kuriyan and Sujata she got little support from the rest of her team mates. The first set which lasted 17 minutes, went to Railways 25-19, when Kerala failed to block Shanty Joseph8217;s low and deceptive smash from the right.

The second set was a little more closely fought in the initial stages. It wasKerala8217;s failure to judge the rival shots to the back court that gave advantage to the Railways. Kerala failed to retrieve the net blocks and Railways availed a lot of points through their drops8217;. Though Kerala8217;s first passes showed improvement, smashes, except those of captain Anu, lacked fire. The confusion created at the scorers table towards the end, however, marred the proceedings for a while. For Railways, who won the set at 25-20, experienced Sangita and Salomi stood out with their terrific strikes. An off-colour Mini Elizabeth was substituted during the set.

The teams fought for every point in the third. Kerala improved their net blocks and retrievals to go 12-10 up at one stage. Anu Jacob put to good effect Mercy8217;s immaculate setting. Railways resorted to frequent substitutions in desperation. They however managed to catch up soon and wrested the initiative through Salomi. Geeta Raju, a newcomer, also played her role well. Her good rebound collections and strong back court defence gave the sidea big boost. There was no stopping Railways and the set was won at 25-18.

Railways rudderless: In the men8217;s event, Kerala scored a comprehensive 25-22, 16-25, 25-19, 25-15 win. Railways seemed rudderless with their playing six always showing little interest in their game. They remained mute when Kerala spikers unleashed a series of ferocious smashes which fell all over the court.