SLPA and SLBFE emerge champs
View(s):Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) and Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) emerged the men’s and women’s champions of the Munchee National Volleyball Super League tournament which ended at the National Youth Service Council Indoor Stadium in Maharagama yesterday.
An Army spiker dashes against SLPA - Pic by Susantha Liyanawatte
SLPA, the defending champions in the men’s tournament, succeeded in retaining the title when they defeated a spirited Army side by three sets to one in an absorbing final while SLBFE got the better of defending champions Air Force by the same score of three sets to one.
The men’s final at the inception turned out to be a closely contested affair with both sides in the first of the five set match, having even exchanges which ultimately ended in a nail biting finish for SLPA (33-31) in a game that dragged for 42 minutes.
Army came back in the second set as they fought it out with vengeance to take a five point lead at 20-15 but SLPA gave them some anxious moments to make it 20 a piece before Army clinched the set 25-23 in another cliffhanger of a game.
From there on defending champions SLPA got their act together as they settled down to take things under control and succeeded in winning the third and fourth set with scores of 25-23 and 25-14 to retain the title.
In the women’s final SLBFE, new entrants to big time volleyball having taken up to the game just two years ago, had things their own way against defending champions Air Force.
Even though they conceded the first set 22-25 they rattled their opponents with some superb dashes to take the second, third and fourth sets with scores of 25-23, 25-14 and 25-23 to come out easy winners and win the national title for the first time.
Janitha Suwath of SLPA and Kanchana Dilhani of SLBFE were adjudged the best players of the tournament in the men’s and women’s categories.
- MSA