Mokokchung, August 15 (MTNews): In a much anticipated final match of the first Mokokchung Inter Ward Volleyball Tournament that was played in front of a jam packed crowd at Multi Sports Complex, Mokokchung on Monday, Artang team with a mixture of young and seasoned senior players were unable to perform when it mattered most as crowd favourites young Sungkomen team humbled the Artang side in straight sets.
The young and energetic Sungkomen defense deftly resisted Artang’s spiking prowess as the defensive Sungkomen side continued to repel the strikes with the likes of Aotoshi and Tongpangakum giving the Artang side a hard time.
Sungkomen’s lebro Nuito remained a significant role on the squad, as his impeccable ball-control skills negated the Artang attacks.
Sungkomen players collected a number of ace points in all of the sets, while Artang also had the possibility to win the third set initially to flip the tables in their favour but Sungkomen proved too difficult to be contained. Sungkomen went on to win the match 25-19, 25-17, and 25-17.
Earlier, Metsubo Jamir, Minister of Rural Development, who was the guest of honour at the closing ceremony, praised the organizers for forging unity among the people of Mokokchung through the tournament.
He noted that the tournament’s successful conclusion without mishap demonstrated the people’s healthy understanding and emphasized that sports is a significant channel through which we can promote peace to the Naga people.
He went on to remark that while a match can only have one winner, the losing team should not give up hope and should be encouraged to perform better in the future.
Individually, Imlionen from Yimyu Ward was named Man of the Tournament, Opanglangba from Sungkomen was named Best Setter, and Merensashi from Sungkomen was named Best Spiker.