The Nagpur divisional spikers in both the U-21 and U-18 girls' categories secured their spots in the semifinals of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Cup state-level volleyball tournament, which is being held at Badlapur, Thane, as of Friday.
Girls' Teams Performances
Both Nagpur women's teams finished second in their respective groups after losing one game each during the league stage, but that was enough to qualify for the semifinals of the five-day tournament. In the U-21 girls' section, Nagpur registered a hard-fought straight-set victory over Kolhapur with scores of 25-21 and 25-23. This win came after they had lost their second league game against Nashik. Earlier in the competition, the Nagpur girls had also defeated Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.
In the U-18 girls' group, Nagpur faced a defeat against Pune in their final league outing, losing 10-25 and 7-25. However, prior to that, they had recorded comfortable victories over Mumbai and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.
Boys' Teams Unbeaten Run
The Nagpur men's teams in both the U-21 and U-18 categories have been impressive, winning all their two league matches so far without a loss. They are now just one win away from entering the semifinals.
In the U-18 boys' category, the Nagpur spikers staged a remarkable comeback to defeat Kolhapur in a thrilling encounter. After losing the first set 23-25, they leveled the match by winning the second set 25-22. In the decisive third set, Nagpur took an early lead and held on to win 15-11. Earlier, they had easily beaten Sambhajinagar with scores of 25-5 and 25-6.
In the U-21 boys' section, Nagpur also came from behind to beat Pune 20-25, 25-21, 16-14.
Upcoming Matches
In their final league games, both the U-18 and U-21 Nagpur teams will face Mumbai. If they win those matches, they will emerge as pool toppers in their respective categories.
