Kochi, February 10: Kochi Blue Spikers, who had won three matches on the trot, finally fell to Calicut Heroes in the first white-wash of the season of the Pro Volleyball League on Saturday.
They will take on Chennai Spartans on Monday at the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium in Kochi. Chennai found their form beating the Black Hawks Hyderabad in their last encounter by a score line of 4-1.
Kochi will look at bouncing back from the defeat at the hands of Calicut Heroes in the Kerala Derby and cement their position for the playoffs.
Ahead of the match, skipper Mohan Ukkrapandian said, “It was just a bad day in the office for us when we faced Calicut. I feel tomorrow (Monday) will be a new day and we will not look behind. We have to play up to our potential against Chennai. I would also like to thank our supporters who have reposed faith in us and would urge them to keep believing in us.”
Chennai have had a three-day break before going into the match against Kochi. Naveen Raja Jacob and Rudy Verhoeff have been in good form for Chennai scoring 20 and 17 spike points from their last two encounters. GS Akhin’s return to form is also good news for the side as it only bolsters all-round options.
Verhoeff believes that the team is finally linking up well and working as a unit. “We have the players, we have the experience and most importantly we have the vigour to do well. We want to ensure that before we move to Chennai, we are placed well to make it to the playoffs. Kochi is a strong team and even though they lost 5-0 we can’t write them off. We have to be cautious but at the same time play our natural game.”
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Source: Press Release