Varanasi, 7 January. Hosts Uttar Pradesh men continued their unbeaten streak on Wednesday, the fourth day of the 72nd Senior National Volleyball Championship, at the Dr. Sampurnanand Sports Stadium here by defeating Odisha in a one-sided fashion and secured a place in the pre-quarterfinals from the five-team Group C. Meanwhile, UP women also continued their winning campaign in Group C and kept themselves in the race for the last 16 by defeating Punjab in straight sets with their third consecutive win.

Uttar Pradesh men defeat Odisha in straight sets

The Uttar Pradesh men’s team dominated from the beginning in the match played on the indoor court in the evening and defeated Odisha 3-0 (25-17, 25-22, 25-20) in straight sets. Rajneesh Singh continuously destroyed Odisha’s defense with powerful smashes and accurate placing. Whereas Shahid scored important points for the team through his fast-paced quick attacks near the net.

​Universe Suryansh and Puneet continued to deliver excellent cross-court shots and aggressive strikes from the wings. ​Tayyab (middle blocker) stood like a wall at the net and stopped Odisha’s spikers. His solid blocks weakened the morale of the opposition team. Odisha had earlier defeated Andhra Pradesh 3-1 (18-25, 25-14, 26-24, 25-19). In the same group, Telangana defeated Bihar 3-0 (25-20, 25-17, 25-22).

Defending runner-up Services had to lose to Tamil Nadu

Meanwhile, defending runners-up Services had to face a straight-set defeat to Tamil Nadu 0-3 (21-25, 21-25, 17-25) in Group B. On the other hand, in Group D, Madhya Pradesh defeated Manipur 3-0 (25-16, 25-18, 25-13) and had to face defeat at the hands of Uttarakhand 0-3 (24-26, 25-18, 25-21, 25-11). Uttarakhand also registered its second consecutive win by defeating Gujarat 3-0 (25-21, 25-15, 25-17).

In Group E, West Bengal defeated Diu and Daman 3-0 (25-18, 25-16, 25-22), while in Group F, Delhi defeated Assam 3-0 (25-17, 25-22, 26-24), Chandigarh defeated Puducherry 3-1 (25-9, 25-14, 24-26, 25-18) and Chhattisgarh Defeated Ladakh 3-0 (25-4, 25-11, 25-12).

UP women caught Punjab

On the other hand, in the women’s category, the players of Uttar Pradesh showed excellent coordination and registered their third consecutive win by defeating Punjab 3-0 (25-18, 25-18, 25-13) in straight sets. During the match which lasted for about 70 minutes, the host team’s Priyanka and Khushboo made excellent attacks while Arya and Neelu’s powerful smashes and accurate service led the team to victory.

UP players prevented Punjab from scoring points through blocks, while Punjab had to face defeat due to weak passes. UP, undefeated till now in the group of five teams, will now face Andhra Pradesh in the last group match and before that match, the team that will enter the quarter-finals will be decided. In another match of the same group, Assam defeated Manipur 3-0 (25-12, 25-18, 25-19).

Runner-up Railway women defeated West Bengal

Defending runners-up Railways Women also continued their excellent performance and defeated West Bengal 3-0 (25-16, 25-15, 25-16) in Group B. In Group D, Karnataka defeated Uttarakhand 3-0 (25-18, 25-19, 25-11) and Gujarat defeated Puducherry 3-0 (25-3, 25-8, 25-11).

In Group E, Telangana defeated Bihar 3-0 (25-12, 25-14, 25-10) and Delhi defeated Madhya Pradesh 3-1 (15-25,25-18, 25-12, 25-19), while in Group F, Tamil Nadu defeated Maharashtra 3-0 (25-5, 25-10, 25-8) and Chhattisgarh defeated Jharkhand 3-0. Defeated (25-8,25-17, 25-13).

Chief guest and dignitaries boosted the enthusiasm of the players

On the fourth day of the eight-day competition organized under the efficient coordination of Varanasi Municipal Corporation, Police Commissioner Mohit Aggarwal, former District Panchayat President Sujit Singh Doctor and Prabhat Singh Mintu introduced the players and encouraged them. Ambrish Singh Bhola of Hindu Vahini reached the court and introduced the players. On this occasion, Convenor Union Area Worker Virendra Jaiswal also boosted the morale of the players and talked about their bright future.