Calicut Heroes win PVL 2024 defeating the Delhi Toofans 3-1 in the final

Chennai: The third time is the charm for Calicut Heroes as they finally became champions of the Prime Volleyball League 2024 defeating the Delhi Toofans at the Jawahar Lal Nehru Indoor Stadium, Chennai on Thursday.

 They won 3-1 (15-13, 15-10, 13-15, 15-12) against Delhi Toofans after losing in the semi-finals in the last two editions.

The first two sets completely belonged to the Calicut Heroes and Delhi couldn't get a hold of their game. Delhi did start brightly but once Calicut caught up, they never let go. Jerome was in sublime form and brought his most destructive self as he smashed everything in sight along with Vikas Maan with Ukkra setting it up for the attackers with expert precision.

Calicut claimed the first set in some style courtesy of a super serve from their no.4 Luiz Felipe Perotto which gave them two points. The second set saw Calicut assert their dominance even further with Jerome coming alive with smash after the smash which the Toofans couldn't deal with.

After going 2-0 down, the third set was much more close and Delhi finally found their touch and played brilliantly to win the set 15-13 courtesy of the brilliance of Aponza and Dodic not to mention substitute Manoj Kumar who was everywhere with his blocks and smashes.

Despite Delhi fighting as best as they could, Calicut was a cut above with Jerome Vinit going into another gear in the fourth and what would subsequently be the match-winning set for the Calicut Heroes. Delhi fought tooth and nail but it was a little too much to deal with.

Ukkrapandian set up Jerome for the championship-winning point and the crowd, who turned up in huge numbers, erupted in jubilation.

Speaking to The Bridge after the match, the veteran Ukkrapandian remarked, "The defeats from the Semi-finals of the last two editions taught us a lot. We took it one game at a time and we played as a team and that was the reason for the victory". 

When asked about the role of the youngsters, he had this to say, "To help them is what we are here for. Once inside the court, the setters are the coach. And with 17 years of experience playing this role, I was equipped with enough experience to guide the players".

He also had a word of thanks for the Calicut faithful who showed up in large numbers and lit up the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium with their roars and dance.

"Even after two semi-final exits, the fans backed us throughout and gave us tremendous support and we are very grateful to them. This one is for them," he concluded.

Delhi Toofans can hold their heads up high with their stunning run in just their first season in the Prime Volleyball League. They showed plenty of spirit and will be a force to reckon with in the coming seasons.