Bengal U-17 girls clinch National School Games Volleyball Title again

Kolkata: Bengal were crowned champions at the 69th National School Games under-17 girls’ volleyball in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, defeating Rajasthan in a straight-sets final to extend their winning streak in the age category to three consecutive editions.

Bengal wrapped up the title with a 25-15, 25-19, 25-7 win. The team topped their group before beating Punjab in the pre-quarter-final, Haryana in the quarter-final and Kerala in the semi-final to reach the final.

With this victory, Bengal have now won gold in the National School Games U-17 girls’ volleyball for the third year in a row.

Hooghly’s Nitu Rajbhar, Poulami Sharma and Sharanya Shaw, along with North 24 Parganas’ Shraddha Sarkar and Cooch Behar’s Mallika Roy and Tanushree Roy, played key roles in the triumph. The squad comprised five players each from Hooghly and Cooch Behar, and one each from North 24-Parganas and Howrah.

Bengal also picked up several individual honours. Poulami Sharma was named Best Setter, Sharanya Shaw won Best Middle Blocker and Nitu Rajbhar was adjudged Most Valuable Player of the tournament.

State Education minister Bratya Basu congratulated the champions and coaching staff, posting on X that the girls’ dedication, perseverance and fighting spirit had brought glory to Bengal. He added that under the inspiration and vision of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Bengal continued to scale new heights and this gold-medal finish stood as a shining example of that progress.

The team was selected after the state-level competition and underwent a 15-day coaching camp at Sabuj Sathi Ground in Srirampur under the West Bengal State Council for School Games and Sports, functioning under the School Education department.