Cross over

The Indian:  The Indian men's volleyball team's quest for a place in the semifinals was crushed by a dominant Japan as the multiple-time winners won their quarterfinal encounter 3-0 at the CXC Gymnasium here on Sunday.

India had won three matches in a row to reach the quarterfinal encounter with the mighty Japanese and were quite bullish about their chances. But their quest for an Asian Games medal will continue beyond the 37 years it has extended as Japan ended their hopes with a clinical performance.

The Indian team, which had stunned last edition's silver and bronze medallists South Korea and Chinese Taipei respectively in the preliminary league and the Cross Over match respectively, went down 16-25, 18-25, 17-25 in straight games in a match that lasted 71 minutes.