New Delhi: Manoj LM, a 24-year-old player from Hassan, Karnataka has a lot of expectations from the RuPay Prime Volleyball League, which begins in Kochi on February 5. Manoj , who will feature in the Ahmedabad Defenders side is optimistic that the league will help many volleyball players constructively.

"I feel the RuPay Prime Volleyball League will help players, who are facing financial issues, construct their lives in an even better way. The competition will also help in finding talented volleyball players in India and further develop the rich pool of Volleyball talent in India. It will also help players to break into the Indian side and make our country proud. I am personally really excited to play in the RuPay Prime Volleyball League and I cannot express my excitement in words," he said.

Speaking about how he fell in love with the game, Manoj, who is a son of a bus driver, said, "I started playing volleyball in school when I was 12 years old. I had a good physique and structure to be a volleyball player. But, I started playing the sport properly when I was 17-year-old under the guidance of my coach Ramesh Patel. That's when I developed a craze for the game," said the volleyball player, who works for Indian Bank in Chennai.

The middle blocker added that he further honed his skills at a sports hostel in Bengaluru. "Patel sir trained me and helped me join DYES hostel (Sports Authority of Karnataka) in Bengaluru and I met my coach and role model Dakshinamoorthy at the sports hostel. He has helped me reach my best. I have been very lucky to have been trained by great coaches, who inspire me every day. They have worked hard consistently with sheer willpower and have a lot of love for the game. I have a lot of respect for them and they have always pushed me to keep striving forward."

When asked about his biggest achievement in volleyball, Manoj said, "My biggest achievement in volleyball has been being part of the gold medal winning Indian team at the 2019 South Asian Games. It was fantastic to participate in the tournament and the winning moment has been the most memorable moment for me."

The RuPay Prime Volleyball League will feature 24 games and the League will shortly be announcing the fixtures for the upcoming season of action.