PANJIM, AUG 16 (PTI): Hyderabad Black Hawks U21 were crowned champions of the inaugural volleyball Guardians Trophy after defeating hosts Goa Guardians U21 3-1 in the final here on Sunday, with captain Deepak attributing the win to the team’s strong cohesion and combination.
Hyderabad, who had beaten Ahmedabad Defenders U21 in straight sets in the semifinal, made a dominant start to the title clash, winning the opening set 16-7.
Goa, backed by the home crowd, fought back to take the second set 15-11, but Hyderabad regained the advantage by edging a closely contested third set 16-14.
The Black Hawks then sealed the title with a 15-8 win in the fourth set.
“It feels very good to win. Our team’s combination was very good today, and that is why we were able to win,” Deepak told PTI Videos after the victory.
Hyderabad’s Sarthak was the standout performer of the tournament, taking home the MVP, Best Server, and Best Opposite awards.
Deepak was named Best Attacker, while Goa players Suraj, Arjun, and Yogesh won the Best Blocker, Best Setter, and Best Libero awards, respectively.
Hyderabad received Rs 1.2 lakh as prize money, while Goa took home Rs 60,000 as runners-up.
The inaugural Guardians Trophy was created by Goa Guardians to provide India’s emerging volleyball players with a competitive franchise-level platform.
