Defending champions Calicut Heroes suffer fourth straight loss

Defending champions Calicut Heroes continued their disastrous start to the Prime Volleyball League with a fourth straight defeat. The Heroes lost in straight games, 15-11, 15-9, 15-11, to Delhi Toofans at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad on Sunday.

The Heroes remain at the bottom of the ten-team points table, having taken just one set in four matches. In their previous games, the Heroes lost 1-3 to Ahmedabad Defenders and 0-3 to both Mumbai Meteors and Hyderabad Black Hawks.

The Heroes made a good start against the Toofans, with Santhosh firing in a few early smashes. Saqlain Tariq's smart distribution got the Toofans back in the game, before Muhammad Jasim's blocks put them in command.

Jesus Chourio, who was adjudged the player-of-the-match, troubled the Heroes' defence with his power game. George Antony's consecutive super serves were too hot for the defending champions to handle.

Meanwhile, it has not been a great start to the campaign for the other Kerala-based side, Kochi Blue Spikers, either. The Kochi franchise has only won one of its four games so far. The Heroes next play Bengaluru Torpedoes on October 15, while the Spikes face the Meteors on October 14.