Spikerzz-2: Finale

It was a fitting end to a thrilling and nail-biting Spikerzz-II tournament over the last two weeks. Kudos to all the teams for showing sportive spirit and camaradarie. 

With both the teams playing at their peak form, the finals of Spikerzz-II was expected to be a very interesting one. And it was! The energy levels were very high right from the first serve. The blackhawks played an impressive game in the first game and took to the half time at 12-8. The Titans, who had been rated as the best team on paper, proved why they were the best by displaying some brilliant attacking game and team work. They came back from behind and finished the game off in style with a spike at a score of 25-22 to take a 1-0 lead in the best of 3 finals.

The second game saw the same level of enthusiasm and fighting game by both the teams. This time around the Titans took control of the game from the beginning and made sure that they stayed at a safe distance of points from them. A hard fought first half ended at 12-10 in favour of the Titans. The Blackhawks were cutting back into the lead in a menacing way when Titans asserted their dominance again by some smart and attacking play. It was a game of high adrenaline and some very good shot making by both the teams. Finally the Titans won the match by a margin of 4 points at 25-21 thus ensuring they were crowned the champions of Spikerzz-II.

On behalf of the SOC, we thank all the team captains and the teams to have helped us make this tournament a resounding success. Thank you very much for all your support and looking forward to more such tournaments in the future. For now, All the best for Spandana. May the best team win! :)

 

                           

-SOC

Spikerzz 2: Day 3 updates and final standings (May 12 2012)

As expected, Day 3 of Spikerzz-II was very exciting with the points table going topsy turvy after every match. It all boiled down to the point difference to decided the finalists. Here is the final points table after the league stages.

	Team	Played	Won	Lost	Points	Score for	Score-Against	Score Diff
1	Titans	8	5	3	10	185	163	22
2	BlackHawks	8	4	4	8	172	163	9
3	Silent Killers	8	4	4	8	167	165	2
4	Patriots	8	4	4	8	177	178	-1
5	Phoenix	8	3	5	6	154	186	-32

Day 3 Round-up:

With all the teams having equal chances of getting into the top two positions, the matches on day 3 of Spikerzz started off with Phoenix Vs Blackhawks. With Both the teams with equal points before the start of the game, both the teams fought hard during the first half to change courts at 12-8 in favour of Blackhawks. However, in the second half, the BH came down strong on Phoenix to seal an emphatic win of 25-11 thus keeping their hopes of reaching the top two alive. This win also gave them the very crucial points advantage which would later prove to be extremely crucial.

Following this the Titans played against the Silent Killers. Here too, both the teams were in the same situation with SK having a one point advantage over the Titans. With both the team reeling under losses from the previous week, it was the Titans who played a very strong attacking game which was given a stiff resistance by the SK in the first half with the sides changing at a cut-throat 12-11 score for the Titans. However the second half saw the Silent Killers making some  small mistakes which eventually cost them the match with the final scoreline reading 25-17 thus placing Titans in a very strong position for the top spot with 4 wins from 7 games.

After the loss to Titans, the Silent Killers had to win their next match against Phoenix if they had to have any hopes of sneaking through to the finals. The team came with determined resolve to win and with a changed arrangement of players. The changes were very effective as the SK raced to the half time with 12-5. The healthy lead that they had was not capitalized upon and the Phoenix came back strongly to pose a potent threat to the chances of SK. A very spirited high energy game ensued which saw long rallies and finally Silent Killers won the match at 25-20. With the win the SK were on par with Titans with 4 wins each. However they were struggling on their point difference and waiting for the result of other matches to check their fate.

The next game was between Titans and Blackhawks. The Titans seemed to be in scintillating form and they were on a kill mode with their smashes and took an unassailable lead of 12-5 at half time. They made sure the Blackhawks were not given a chance of a comeback and finished the game off in style at 25-15 thus cementing their place in the finals. With 5 wins in 8 matches, the Titans rolled up to the top of the table in style.

Requiring just one win in 2 matches, the top team after Day 2, Patriots took on Blackhawks in the next game which turned out to be a very critical turnaround point in the tournament. With BH having 3 wins under their belt and still hopes of staying the tournament alive, they played a brilliant game to convert their half time score of 12-9 to a 25-19 final score. This win cushioned their slender point difference against the Silent Killers and almost immediately eliminated SK from the competition. However, with Patriots still having one more game to go, their fate was in the balance.

After a shocking defeat against the blackhawks, the Patriots had must-win situation as their point difference had been nullified to a zero. So the only chance for them to go to the finals was by winning against Phoenix, who were already out of the top spots. Patriots started the game in good style and went into the half time score of 12-8 and then kept rolling forward with a steady flow of points. At one point they looked like they would take the game comfortable at 21-16. However, Phoenix, who have been known to create huge upsets in this tournament, came back through some mindblowing play to take a 23-21 lead at which point the Patriots nudged back. It all came down to the wire with both the team on 24 all to decide the finalist. Finally, it was the Patriots who made the error and the Phoenix finished the tournament on a high for themselves and paved way for Blackhawks to play in the finals by pushing them to the second position.

Spikerzz-II FINALE

 

The Finals of Spikerzz-II will be played between Titans and Blackhawks on May 13, Sunday at 8 AM. Please make sure to be there to witness some brilliant volleyball and entertainment. Bring in your families and friends to support the teams. It is a best of 3 finals. There will be a small valedictory function after the finals.

Be there to Serve. Volley. Spike!!

-SOC

Spikerzz 2: Day 2 updates and points table(May 6 2012)

If Day 1 of Spikerzz-II saw some amazing display of volleyball, day 2 simply left you dumbstruck at the quality and some mindblowing turnarounds which has left the tournament wide open for all the 5 teams. Here is the points table and the standings after Day 2 of Spikerzz-II.

	Team	Played	Won	Lost	Points	Score for	Score-Against	Score Diff
1	Patriots	6	4	2	8	134	128	6
2	Silent Killers	6	3	3	6	125	120	5
3	Titans	6	3	3	6	135	131	4
4	BlackHawks	5	2	3	4	107	108	-1
5	Phoenix	5	2	3	4	98	112	-14

Day 2 Round up:

Day 2 started off in a nail biting fashion between Patriots and Blackhawks. Still searching for their first win in the tournament, Blackhawks played a very spirited game and almost looked like they had taken control of the game. But Patriots were not the ones to give up so easily. The game went at a neck-to-neck pace with the sides changing court at 11-12 in favour of Patriots. The second half was a intense with the lead changing sides almost every other point. Finally the Patriots prevailed to get their first win of the day and second of the tournament with a score of 25-23.

This was followed by Phoenix Vs Silent Killers. Phoenix, who were also in a similar situation as Patriots after Day 1 were hopeful of winning their first tie with Silent Killers. However, the Silent Killers nudged back into an early lead taken by Phoenix and then went on to win the game at a score of 25-17 leaving Phoenix in a very  critical must win situation in their next games.

The Blackhawks next played against the in-form Titans next. With 3 losses in 3 games, the Blackhawks were desperately searching for their first win. The Titans raced into half time with a score of 12-9. But things changed in the second half as the Blackhawks broke the defence of Titans and finally brought themselves into the scheme of things with a 25-23 victory over the Titans.

With a win each on  Day 2, Patriots and Silent Killers took on each other. It could well be stated as a turning point in the tournament as Patriots played an impressive game to knock off the cushion the Silent Killers had and got the tournament open for all the teams. It was a highly charged up game with a couple of controversial moments. The Silent Killers were not able to keep up to the half time score of 11-12 and the Patriots played brilliantly as a team to just concede 6 more points from half time to win the match 25-17.

Perhaps, in the best ever comeback game of the tournament so far, the Phoenix took on the Titans. The game started on a high note for the Titans with them bulldozing their way to take a 9-0 lead. And if anyone had written Phoenix off, they were proved wrong not long after. A fightback by Phoenix saw them close the huge gap very quickly and ending the half time at 11-12. With confidence on a high, Phoenix played some very smart game in the second half by just conceding 2 points and  turning the game in their favour with the final score reading 25-14. The Phoenix came screaming back into the tournament with this fantastic victory and handing Titans their second straight defeat.

With a loss against the Patriots, the Silent Killers were put in must-win situation against Blackhawks to keep their position close to the top of the table cushioned. However, with the Blackhawks coming into the game with a high level of confidence and some killer shots, the Silent Killers simply looked out of place. It looked like Blackhawks got a perfect revenge for the drubbing that they received against the same team the previous day. The Silent Killers never had control of the game and the Blackhawks went on to convert the 12-7 half time score to an emphatic 25-10 final score thus leaving the Silent Killers searching for answers. The game also wiped out the crucial point difference that SK putting their position in jeopardy.

The last game of the day was between the Patriots and the Titans. Reeling under 2 straight losses, the Titans hoped to salvage the remaining game with a win. However Patriots were in their elements played very well to change courts at 12-8. Titans showed their aggression and came back into the game with some fine smashes and sharp reflexes and looked like on the path to victory only to be stopped by the never-say-die attitude of Patriots. Patriots were all over the place covering each other up very well and finally went on to win yet another match at 25-23. 

After the results of Day 2, the tournament points table has almost turned upside down. With this, all the 6 matches scheduled for May 12th take very much importance to all the teams as every team will have an equal opportunity to get to the top two. The captains have to put their thinking caps on and come out with newer strategies. So, looking forward to a much more exciting set of games in the coming weekend.

Day 3- Schedule:

Round # Match # Game                             Time

2          15       BlackHawks Vs Phoenix   8.00 AM

2          16       Titans Vs BlackHawks           8.30 AM

2          17       Phoenix Vs Patriots           9.00 AM

2          18       Titans Vs Silent Killers           9.30 AM

2          19       Patriots Vs BlackHawks 10.00 AM

2          20       Phoenix Vs Silent Killers 10.30 AM

Spikerzz 2: Day 1 updates and points table(May 5 2012)

Spikerzz-II was off to a flying start with some great games and amazing play making on Day 1.Here are the standing of the teams after day 1. Remember, the tournament is still wide open with 13 more games to go before the finals!

Points table:

	Team	Played	Won	Lost	Points	Score for	Score-Against	Score Diff
1	Titans	3	3	0	6	75	56	19
2	Silent Killers	3	2	1	4	73	53	20
3	Patriots	3	1	2	2	59	65	-6
4	Phoenix	3	1	2	2	56	73	-17
5	BlackHawks	2	0	2	0	34	50	-16

Day 1 Round-up

The first match of Spikerzz-II was between the Titans and Phoenix. The match saw some competitive play but the Titans had the upper hand almost the entire game with some killer service points by Srini Yella. They maintained a 12-5 lead at half-time to comfortably win the match at 25-16.

Raghu's Silent Killers played against the Pradeep's Patriots in the second match of Round 1. The Patriots took a quick lead in the very beginning of the match and sailed through to the half time at 12-6. However, the second half saw some great team work by the Silent Killers and they raced right back into the game finally turning the outcome of the match in their favour. The Patriots were able to add only 5 more points to their half time score as the final score read 25-17 in favour of Silent Killers.

This was followed by another very close game between Phoenix and BlackHawks. Black Hawks, playing their first game of the tournament looked quite comfortable in the beginning and changed courts with 12-8 in their favor. However, after the defeat in their first game, Phoenix were not the team to give up so easily making the match very exciting even for onlookers. The hard fought game was finally won by Phoenix with a score of 25-23.

This was followed by the Titans taking on Patriots. After a defeat against Silent Killers, the Patriots were looking to make things even with the Titans. But Titans were not in a mood to relent and they again took the advantage to their side with a 12-7 half time score and converting it to a 25-17 winning score. The game saw some smart plays by both the teams but it was the Titans who had the final laugh.

Black Hawks took on the Silent Killers in match 5. With the confidence of a wonderful win against Patriots, the Silent Killers wasted no time in taking a comforting 12-6 lead into the half time. The second half was no different in terms of score addition and Silent Killers won the match at 25-11, the highest victory margin in the tournament so far.

The match between Phoenix and Patriots, was probably the best match on Day 1. After losing both their previous matches, the Patriots were put in a must win situation if they wanted to keep hopes of staying in contention of the top spots alive. The team raised to the occassion very well displaying some aggressive play. They made sure Phoenix were kept at a safe distance by converting a 12-7 half time score into 25-15 final score. The game saw some long rallies and amazing takes by both the teams which made the game one of the best of day. Finally, Patriots broke their losing streak in an impressive fashion to climb into the points table.

With 2 wins under their belts respectively, the Titans took on the Silent Killers in a clash which would decide the top team after day 1. Silent Killers made quite a few unforced errors which was quickly capitalized upon by the Titans to take a 12-9 lead into half time. In the second half, the Titans made sure they did not give any leeway to their opponents by making some great game and finishing smashes to take an unassailable 20-11 lead. When it looked like the Silent Killers were disintegrating and were all set to nullify the point advantage they had gained in the previous game, there was a spirited fightback by them causing some nervous moments among the Titans. However, the fightback was not enough to overcome the might of the Titans who were in no mood to relent and went on to finish theday on a high with all wins as the final score read 25-23

Day 2-Schedule:

Round # Match #          Game                             Time

1          8           BlackHawks Vs Patriots          8.00 AM

1          9                 Phoenix Vs Silent Killers  8.30 AM

1        10                    Titans Vs BlackHawks  9.00 AM

2        11                  Patriots Vs Silent Killers  9.30 AM

2        12                 Phoenix Vs Titans         10.00 AM

2        13           Silent Killers Vs BlackHawks 10.30 AM

2        14                     Titans Vs Patriots         11.00 AM

See you all at 8 AM tomorrow.

-SOC