TN coach, players help Defenders achieve Prime Volleyball glory

CHENNAI: The Regional Sports Centre in Kochi, the venue which hosted the Prime Volleyball League Season 2 final last Sunday, was filled with travelling fans from Tamil Nadu.

It was not a surprise to see them pack the arena as a team with heavy Tamil Nadu influence, Ahmedabad Defenders, was involved in the title decider. Much to their delight, Defenders, whose head coach, technical consultant and key players hail from Tamil Nadu, clinched the Prime Volleyball title by defeating Bengaluru Torpedoes 3-2 in the summit contest.

The Ahmedabad franchise not only secured its maiden PVL crown but also earned a direct ticket to the Volleyball Men’s Club World Championship that will be hosted in India in December. Familiarity within the squad helped Defenders go the distance, according to its head coach S Dakshinamoorthy, who had eight of his SRMIST (Chennai) wards – six from the state – and one other Tamil Nadu player at disposal.

“We missed the services of two key players, Shon T John and overseas recruit Andrew Kohut, for most part of the season due to injuries. But, the domestic players, most of whom are from Tamil Nadu, did their job. Only because of them were we able to overcome the difficulties. To win the tournament despite having deficiencies (referring to missing the players), makes me really happy,” Dakshinamoorthy, who was adjudged the best coach of Prime Volleyball Season 2, told DT Next.

Universal R Angamuthu, the player of the final, echoed Dakshinamoorthy’s views. “We (Tamil Nadu players) had a similar mindset. Most of us have played under Dakshinamoorthy sir, so we knew what he would expect from us on court. Players like A Muthusamy (captain) and LM Manoj (hailing from Karnataka and played under Dakshinamoorthy at SRMIST) executed the coach’s plans perfectly. That brightened our title hopes,” said Angamuthu.