Goa Volleyball Tournament Draws Late-Night Crowds with PVL Stars

Goa Volleyball Tournament Captivates Fans with Late-Night Action

The presence of Santa Cruz MLA Rodolfo Fernandes in the stands until the conclusion of the night's matches at the Modi ground in Merces on Tuesday underscored the immense popularity of volleyball in this part of the state. Remarkably, by the time the matches ended, it was 1:40 AM, yet a substantial crowd remained to cheer on some of India's most prominent players during the opening day of the Vicente Almeida and Bonifacio Almeida Memorial All-Goa volleyball tournament. This event is organized by Almeida Brothers in association with Pogo Boys, Merces.

Outstation Players Drive Enthusiasm

The tournament features six local teams, but the primary draw for spectators—keeping them engaged well into the late hours—is the inclusion of outstation players. Each team is required to field three players from outside Goa, and these athletes have become the major attractions, bringing star power and high-level competition to the court.

Premier Volleyball League Stars Shine in Opening Matches

In the first match, which started nearly two hours late due to teams arriving fashionably late, stars from the Premier Volleyball League (PVL), India's franchise-based league, took center stage. Sarvan showcased PVL veteran Shubham Chaudhary, who has had stints with U-Mumbai and Mumbai Meteors, alongside Sahil Kanwal. Radhakrishna Usgao countered with Niyas Abdul Salam from Hyderabad Black Hawks and Muhammed Jasim, a young blocker from Kerala who is a rising star in the league and was highly sought after during the auction.

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Radhakrishna Usgao began strongly, winning the first set 25-15. However, Sarvan turned the match around by securing the next three sets with scores of 25-19, 25-18, and 25-20, largely due to Shubham Chaudhary's dominant point-scoring performance.

Midnight Matches Keep Crowds Engaged

By the time the second match commenced at midnight, no one was in the mood to leave. The on-court action kept everyone invested, with another set of PVL stars representing Detailz Doctor in fine form. Detailz Doctor fielded all three players from Tamil Nadu, who combined effectively to deliver a strong performance.

Key to their success was ace setter Muthusamy Appavu, who captains the Ahmedabad franchise and was in excellent form during India's runner-up finish against Iran at the Central Asian Volleyball Championship last year. For Detailz Doctor, Nandagopal Subramanian (also from Ahmedabad Defenders) and Sethu TR (Hyderabad) led from the front, supported by impressive performances from local players Kailash Balikar and Vithalraj Gawas. Their team secured a victory against Cacra-Bandh-Santa Cruz with set scores of 25-21, 15-25, 25-23, and 25-16.

Challenges for Cacra-Bandh-Santa Cruz

Cacra-Bandh-Santa Cruz featured outstation players from Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, but Rajneesh Singh and Puneet struggled to match the competition. Even local players, well-known on the Goan volleyball circuit such as Rama Dhawaskar, Prabal Sawant, and Tejas Gauns, fell short. The team now faces an uphill battle to stay alive in the tournament, needing to defeat KK Boys, Santa Cruz—a daunting task given they will be up against talismanic India star Ashwal Rai.