Munchee Volleyball Nationals:

SL Army and SL Railways men’s and women’s champs

Leslie FERNANDO

The spikers from Sri Lanka Army and Sri Lanka Railway emerged men’s and women’s champions respectively in the Munchee National Volleyball Championships finals played at the National Youth Services Council Indoor Stadium, Maharagama yesterday.

The championships were conducted by the Volleyball Federation of Sri Lanka and sponsored by Ceylon Biscuits Ltd.

In the men’s final, Sri Lanka Army showed combined team effort to win 3 sets to 1 against last year’s runner-up Sri Lanka Ports Authority.

Soldiers started confidently winning the first two-sets in identical scores 25-21, but Sri Lanka Ports Authority took the third set 23-25. The fourth went to Sri Lanka Army 25-15.

Sri Lanka Army’s main asset was its strong defence and to spike above the block. They took 90 minutes to complete well deserved victory over a much stronger side which included seven Sri Lanka players in their rank.

Army also had able spikers in skipper K. Sunil Santha Ratnayake and P. Rajapakse. All in all, they played a well controlled game.

In the women’s final, defending champions Sri Lanka Railway retained the title defeating Sri Lanka Ports Authority by 3 sets to 1. Railway spikers proved their class in all departments of the game. They put a strong block and did the boosting job with fine strike power to win the three sets.

Railway lost the first set 25-18, but came back strongly to win the other three sets 27-25, 25-19, 25-22.

Both men’s and women’s champions were presented the Munchee Challenge Cup and special awards while the runner-up also received trophies and special prizes.