Kerala found a second wind when it mattered by clinching the final two sets to edge arch-rivals Tamil Nadu 3-2 (24-26, 25-23, 21-25, 25-23, 15-7) to storm into the men's semifinals of the 72nd Senior National Volleyball Championship in Varanasi on Friday.

When it comes to men's volleyball, a clash between Kerala and Tamil Nadu is probably the Indian equivalent of a Brazil-Argentina showdown in football.

It was a shame this wasn't a final because the contest was befitting of one. Bijoy Baby's Kerala had many heroes, but Muhammed Nihal should be the biggest star. 

The manner in which he turned the second set in Kerala's favour was exemplary. The 23-year-old picked up a pair of service points in a row, including an ace and then killed a cross shot to take Kerala from 20-21 to 23-21, and denying Tamil Nadu a 2-0 lead after winning a cliffhanger of an opening set.

Tamil Nadu came roaring back to win the third, but Kerala, led by Sethu T R, equalised in style. Tamil Nadu had a comfortable lead midway into the fourth, but smart defending from Kerala levelled the scores before John Joseph, standing 2.01 metres, effected a timely block to put the holders in front at a crucial juncture in the match. Kerala still had to dig deep to steal the set.

But the decider was more or less dominated by Kerala. Solid blocks and penetrating spikes gave Kerala a solid 5-0 lead. A spike from Erin Varghese made it 8-2 for Kerala. A series of clean wide hits from Sethu and Nihal sealed the deal for the defending champions.

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