Vijayawada: The All India Invitational Volleyball Tournament, held as part of the golden jubilee celebrations of the Siddhartha Academy of General and Technical Education, concluded here on Thursday. The tournament, which began on August 11 at the PB Siddhartha Arts and Science College grounds, wrapped up with the final matches at the Siddhartha Academy of Higher Education’s indoor stadium in Kanuru.
The semifinal and final matches were inaugurated by Penamaluru MLA Bode Prasad, Siddhartha Academy Treasurer Sureddy Venkateswara Rao, and Vice-Chancellor of Siddhartha Deemed University Prof PV Rao. The women’s division saw two exciting semifinal matches. In the first semifinal, Integrated Coach Factory, Chennai, dominated with a straight-set victory (3–0) over South Central Railway, Secunderabad. The second semifinal was a close contest, with Bank of Maharashtra, Pune, securing a narrow 3–2 win against Central Railway, Mumbai.
In the men’s division, the competition was equally intense. Sports Authority of India, Thiruvananthapuram, triumphed in a tight 3–2 match against Bishop Moore College, Kerala. SRM University, Chennai, defeated Loyola College, Chennai, to advance to the final.
The women’s final match crowned Integrated Coach Factory, Chennai as the champions, while Bank of Maharashtra, Pune, finished as the runner-up. The winning teams were honoured at a felicitation ceremony. The awards were presented by Chief Guest Bode Prasad, Vice-Chancellor Prof PV Rao, Siddhartha Academy President Malineni Rajayya, former Chairman of the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh (SAAP) Ankamma Chowdary, and PB Siddhartha College Principal Dr Meka Ramesh.
