Panaji: The All Goa volleyball tournament at Merces was always going to be a tricky affair with the presence of three outstation players in every team. Nowhere was this better dramatized than in the first semifinal where Detailz Doctor, who won both their group-stage games with ease, were knocked out. True to form, the team from Menkurem won the first set without breaking into a sweat, but Sarvan Bicholim turned the tables 26-28, 25-23, 25-22, 25-22 to make it to the final.In the final, Sarvan will face KK Boys, who swept aside the challenge of Varad 7 in straight sets 25-18, 25-19, 25-14.The exit of Detailz Doctor came as a surprise. After all, they were the in-form team, and unlike others, the three outstation choices were all established names. The presence of India setter Muthuswamy Appauva was an added advantage.However, in the semifinals, Detailz Doctor could not measure up to the challenge posed by the opponent spikers like Shubham Chaudhary and Sahil Kanwal, besides some brilliant setting by man-of-the-match Rahul Chokla.After dropping the first set, Sarvan maintained steady leads all through the contest.In the second, Sarvan enjoyed a 13-8 advantage midway into the game, and at 22-17 in the third set, there was no stopping them. In the fourth set, the lanky Shubham – star in the Prime Volleyball League (PVL) for multiple teams – used his height well to wrap up the match with simple but effective spikes.The second semifinal was one-way traffic as KK Boys – with the brilliant Ashwal Rai leading from the front – defeated Varad 7 in straight sets.The three sets were straightforward affairs as KK Boys led from start to finish. While most eyes were focused on Ashwal, India’s star player, it was Visakh who garnered most of the points with some powerful cross-court smashes.Nanjil Surya hardly did anything wrong with his sets. To his credit, he showed more faith in local players than any outstation setter. Ashwek Gawade, Nitin Sawant and Hemant Naik did his trust no harm by killing whatever came their way. If they missed, big brother Ashwal was on hand to motivate them.The All Goa volleyball tournament is organized by Almeida Brothers and Pogo Boys Merces in memory of Vicente Almeida and Bonifacio Almeida.
