Prime Volleyball League | Bengaluru Torpedoes reigns supreme

Bengaluru Torpedoes capped off a fantastic season by clinching its maiden Prime Volleyball League title, beating Mumbai Meteors 15-13, 16-4, 15-13 in the final, at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium here on Sunday.

Meteors’ blockers did well to put pressure on Jalen Penrose, who overhit a few shots early. However, the talismanic American quickly found his attacking boots, his smash down the line — which drew out a horde of Torpedoes flags for the first time in the game from the packed stands — one for the highlights reel.

Shubham Chaudhary’s super point went in vain after Penrose’s cheekily-placed return put Torpedoes in front.

In control

Meteors could barely regroup after going a set down, with Torpedoes using the momentum to put the squeeze on. They swiftly took a five-point lead and built on it, with Joel Benjamin and Matthew West at the heart of the team’s best work. Abhinav Salar’s consolation super point aside, Torpedoes barely put a foot wrong and raced to a 2-0 lead.

Norwegians Petter Ostvik and Mathias Loftesnes rallied the Meteors, but the Torpedoes denied them a comeback. In the end, the ‘match of the season’ turned into a coronation.

Torpedoes head coach David Lee summed up the contest, and the season, in the best way possible. “We overpowered them with serve, pass and pure heart.”