Andhra win thriller

Visakhapatnam, Dec 17: Hosts Andhra Pradesh men turned the tables around fancied Tamil Nadu while defending champions Indian Railways, last...

Visakhapatnam, Dec 17: Hosts Andhra Pradesh men turned the tables around fancied Tamil Nadu while defending champions Indian Railways, last year’s runners-up Kerala and dark horses Punjab continued their winning form on the third day of the 46th Senior National volleyball tournament here on Tuesday.

In a thrilling five-setter Andhra Pradesh rallied brilliantly after losing second and fourth sets to pip Tamil Nadu 15-8, 12-15, 15-3, 9-15, 15-11 in two hours, the longest match of the tournament so far.

Kerala and Punjab men entered the knock-out stage while Karnataka made sure of a berth with two wins.

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At Municipal Stadium, defending champions Indian Railways women, continued their demolition work without much fuss by handing over a humiliating defeat to Orissa 15-1, 15-0, 15-1 in just 30 minutes. Runners-up Kerala were equally impressive with their fine victory over Pondicherry 15-1, 15-2, 15-0.

RESULTS

Men Karnataka bt Orissa 15-11 15-5 15-9, Punjab bt Rajasthan 15-2 15-3 15-9, Kerala bt Delhi 15-8 15-3 15-12, Indian Railways bt Bihar 15-0 15-4 15-1, Services bt WB 15-9 15-7 15-2; AP bt TN 15-8, 12-15, 15-3, 9-15, 15-11, Chandigarh lost to MP 1-15, 15-13, 5-15, 5-15; UP bt Gujarat 15-7, 15-8, 15-6; HP bt J&K 15-3, 15-2, 15-10; Manipur bt Pondicherry 15-5, 15-9, 15-6; UP bt Maharashtra 8-15, 15-6, 16-14, 15-13.

Women: WB bt Chandigarh 15-3 15-6 15-6, AP bt Gujarat 15-11 15-1 15-6, Punjab bt Manipur 15-0 15-0 15-3, Kerala bt Pondicherry 15-1 15-2 15-0, Maharastra beat Rajasthan 13-15 5-15 15-8 15-4 15-7, Railways beat Orissa 15-1 15-0 15-1, MP beat Bihar 15-2 15-1 15-2.