West Bengal took a slender 3-1 lead in the first set. But Kerala bounced back as Shiji Kurian blocked and smashed well. The hosts were soon leading 8-3 and their captain Anu Jacob collected three straight points with her stunning jump serves. As West Bengal's passing was erratic, their skipper Sujatha Paul and Sheeba Sabu did not get too many smashing chances. Kerala won the set 25-8 in less than 10 minutes.

West Bengal led 23-19 as Sujatha Paul and Sanchyeetha Ghosh smashed in the gaps with the help of nice boosts by V G Ambily. Kerala managed to catch up at 21-21 by cutting down their mistakes. But they woke up a bit too late as Aparna Sur's drop finally saw West Bengal win 25-23.

Kerala coach T K Raghavan took a time-out when Kerala trailed 22-23. After that Sujatha's smash and a block that followedhelped Kerala take a 24-23 lead.