Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], October 23: The Goa Guardians scripted a stunning comeback to edge past the Delhi Toofans 14–16, 11–15, 15–11, 16–13, 15–11 in the RR Kabel Prime Volleyball League powered by Scapia at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium, Hyderabad, on Sunday. Prince was named the Player of the Match as the Guardians climbed up to fourth on the table with 10 points.
After the thrilling win, Owner Raju Chekuri said, “Goa Guardians is a great, resilient team. After going down two sets, winning three sets continuously shows their team’s bonding and strength.”
The opening set turned out to be a thriller, with both sides exchanging points relentlessly. Jesus Chourio and Muhammed Jasim struck early for the Toofans, while Dushyant Singh’s super serve briefly put the Guardians in front. Jeffrey Menzel tried to close the set for Goa, but the Toofans’ power pair of Anu James and Chourio stepped up when it mattered most to take the first set 16–14.
The Toofans carried their momentum into the second set, with Carlos Berrios dominating from the outside. Despite Menzel’s sharp net play keeping the Guardians competitive, setter Saqlain Tariq’s precise assists to Chourio and Berrios guided the Toofans to a confident 15–11 win, putting them two sets ahead.
Goa roared back in the third, fuelled by Nathaniel’s attacking intent and Chirag Yadav’s service pressure. Prince marshalled the defence with a superb block as the Guardians finally rediscovered their rhythm to pull one back 15–11.
The fourth set saw Chourio and Berrios threaten to seal the match early for the Toofans, but Menzel’s blistering spikes and Prince’s control at the net sparked a brilliant fightback. Prince capped the effort with a thunderous super serve, clinching the set 16–13 to push the match into a decider.
In the tense fifth set, both teams traded points in quick succession before Goa’s Aravindan executed a clever setter dump, while Prince continued his dominance at the net. Anu James battled hard for the Toofans, but Chirag Yadav’s emphatic super point spike sealed a memorable 3–2 victory for the Guardians.
