Karnataka women go down to Bengal in opener

A day after the men’s team lost to Uttarakhand, the women lost a 25-18, 22-25, 25-16, 23-25, 15-13 in their Group B match.

However, holders Tamil Nadu men and Railways women registered straight set victories as they began their campaign on a winning note.

In a men’s Group A tie, hosts Tamil Nadu scored a thumping 25-19, 25-15, 25-19 win over Punjab while the strong Railways women faced few hurdles in swamping Andhra Pradesh 25-15, 25-11, 25-22. In another match in men’s Group A, Kerala overcame Services 25-22, 16-25, 25-22, 25-20. Kerala, who lost their way in the second set, lifted their game at vital moments to emerge triumphant in the end.

Earlier, Railways women, packed with the cream of India team players, expectedly dominated the proceedings, yielding little to their rivals in scripting a win.
Results: Men: Group A: Kerala bt Services 25-22, 16-25, 25-22, 25-20; Tamil Nadu bt Punjab 25-19, 25-15, 25-19.

Group C: Orissa bt Uttar Pradesh 25-18, 27-25, 23-25, 26-24; Gujarat bt Jammu and Kashmir 25-21, 31-29, 25-19.

Group D: Delhi bt Goa 22-25, 19-25, 25-19, 32-30, 15-12; West Bengal bt Puducherry 25-17, 25-21, 25-20.

Group E: Assam bt Andaman 25-17, 25-17, 25-14.
Women: Group A: Railways bt Andhra Pradesh 25-15, 25-11, 25-22.
Group B: Kerala bt Jharkhand 25-5, 25-8, 25-21; West Bengal bt Karnataka 25-18, 22-25, 25-16, 23-25, 15-13.

Group C: Orissa bt Uttar Pradesh 25-18, 27-25, 23-25, 26-24; Gujarat bt Jammu and Kashmir 25-21, 31-29, 25-19; Uttar Pradesh bt Bihar 25-6, 25-12, 25-11.
Group D: Andaman bt Jammu and Kashmir 19-25, 17-25, 25-15, 25-18, 15-8; Orissa bt Uttarakhand 25-15, 25-9, 25-13.
Group E: Rajasthan bt Tripura 25-21, 25-16, 25-18. Group F: Himachal Pradesh bt Chhattisgarh 25-21, 25-17, 25-17; Delhi bt Assam 25-14, 25-17, 25-12.