PVL 2023: Hyderabad Black Hawks climb to third with win over Kochi Blue Spikers

This was a third consecutive loss for Kochi.

Hyderabad Black Hawks picked up a thrilling 15-13, 10-15, 15-13, 15-6, 13-15 win over Kochi Blue Spikers at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad on Wednesday in Prime Volleyball League 2023. Hemanth P, who made five aces in a row, was the star of the contest and was named the Player of the Match.

Cheered on by the home crowd, John Joseph took charge from the middle to get Hyderabad ahead. Walter Neto struggled with the blocks while Hyderabad skipper Guru Prashanth built pressure from the service line.

As Hemanth started getting involved in the attacks from the outside line and Trent O'Dea started making blocks from the middle, the home team took control. But the partnership between Abhinav and Rohit started threatening the Black Hawks.

Drawing inspiration from Hyderabad's attacks, Erin Varghese brought Kochi's aggressive play to the fore. Walter started involving more in the Spikers' defence and the Blues disturbed the Hawks' offensive rhythm.

Too much reliance on Guru cost Hyderabad and as Shubham Chaudhary started getting more into the action for Kochi, the tide of the play turned. But the presence of Varun GS on the court freed up Hemanth, Trent and John and Hyderabad came back into the contest.

Hemanth ended the game with a stunning display from the service line as Kochi Blue Spikers drew a blank against the Black Hawks' attacker. Picking a 3-2 win, the Black Hawks earned two points from the match.

Bengaluru Torpedoes will be up against Chennai Blitz and Kolkata Thunderbolts will be up against Calicut Heroes at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium on the second day of the Hyderabad leg of the RuPay Prime Volleyball League from 1900 hrs onwards IST on Thursday, 16th February 2023.