Services men defeated last year's runner-up Assam 3-1 while defending champion Kerala women brushed aside Delhi 3-0 in the 70th senior national volleyball championship which began at the KIIT's Biju Patnaik indoor stadium, Bhubaneswar, on Monday.
In other league matches, Railway men defeated Karnataka 3-0 while Tamil Nadu women prevailed over Uttar Pradesh 3-1.
Veenil Krishna, Secretary, Sports and Youth Services Department, Odisha, inaugurated the championship.
