An interesting weekend for our GBW last week with more 5 set thrillers and another Battle of the Brits in Switzerland…Find out all the juicy match details right here!
Belgium: Gea Happel Amigos lost 3-1 v VDK Gent
Palmers Amigo's play in their new gym for the first time
Gea happel faced VDK Gent in their first game in their new sports hall. This was always going to be a tough match for the the home team. Gent started strong and with speed in attack they took the first set easily. Gea Happel Amigos came back fighting in the second, with strong play on the net and tough serving, but unfortunately Gent stepped up towards the end and finished the second set. In the third set, Amigos took the momentum they had from the second set and really step up and won convincingly. VDK Gent made some changes and brought their big hitters back into the game and Amigos couldn’t match this and lost the last set. Even though Amigos didn’t get the win it was a good team performance.
Finland:
It was a much deserved free weekend for Stacey O’Connor in Finland this weekend.
France: Grace Carters TFOC Terville lost 3-2 v Beziers
Carter's TFOC
In the Pro A league, Saturday saw Grace Carter’s TFOC play away against 3rd place Beziers. TFOC got off to a slow start, not being able to beat the strong Beziers block defence, but by the end of the first set TFOC began to fight back and the momentum ended with them, just missing out 25-22. In the second, TFOC had a strong start with aggressive serving making the Beziers offence predictable and played a solid game to take the set 23-25. TFOC’s confidence was high in the 3rd, with everything seemingly going their way they took an easy 13-25 win. But the opposition hadn’t given up, they came back with a fast strong offence which TFOC failed to contain, loosing the set 25-16. The tie break was neck and neck the whole way, with both teams playing some excellent defence which made for some long entertaining rallys. However, whilst this was TFOC’s third 5 set match in a row, it was not third time lucky as they eventually narrowally lost the set and game 20-18. Grace’s comments:
“So disappointed to have yet another 3-2 loss, but we are continually improving and are still confident our next win will come soon.”
In the DEF, Newtons Quimper won 3-0 v Clamart
Rachel Newton - Quimper celebrates another win!
After taking top spot last weekend in their division, Quimper had a solid performance against Clamart who currently sit bottom of the table. Clamart tried to cause Quimper problems in defence through tipping and wiping off the block, but Quimper stayed in good system and took a big lead in all of the sets. Clamart showed some good character and fight, but Quimper were more consistent and made fewer errors. Rachel Newton comments:
“We were really pleased with our performance because we find it hard to play against the scrappy defensive teams in our division. In our last match against Clamart we let them get back into the game after being 2-0 up and won the game 3 – 2. But we stayed focussed and ran some good plays in attack. We followed our game plan and are happy to get the 3 points”
Germany: Alemannia Aachen lost 3-1 v Suhl
Alemannia Aachen
Unfortunately it was another loss for Wicks and Michael’s Aachen on Saturday against a strong Suhl who sit in joint 5th place in the league. Aachen started well serving strong and blocking well seeing the first set point for point, with Aachen managing to clinch it 27-25. Suhl stepped up their game, putting Aachen under pressure on serve receive, which made their offence too predictable for a strong blocking team like Suhl. Suhl took the next 3 sets (19,20,20) to win 3-1.
Rachel Bragg’s Hamburg lost 3-1 to league leaders Vilsbiburg at home on Saturday.
Holland: TFM/DOK win 3-2 v Taurus
Jo Morgan helps her team to their first win
Saturday saw an exciting 5 set match and win for Jo Morgan and Jennifer Taylor’s TFM/DOK. Sets 1 and 2 showed fight from TFM/DOK – when the score hit the twentys in both sets TFM/DOK were behind. Serving was key at the end of the first two sets – TFM/DOK were brave and aggressive which let the rest of the game operate well, winning 25-23 and 25-22. The next two sets were lost 25-18 and 25-17. TFM/DOK stopped serving aggressively which meant their block/defence did not function well. Taurus found some fight from somewhere and stepped up their serving which meant TFM/DOK’s passing dropped, meaning less offence options. Set 5 and TFM/DOK started with the same spirit as sets 1 and 2: serving was tough which allowed the rest of their game to operate. There was an aggressive attitude and hitters swung really hard and smart. TFM/DOK won set 5 15-10. Jo Morgan told us “We have a belief about us when we play at home. We are generally aggressive and have no fear. Much of our game stems from the service line: if we serve well we can do anything!”. Jenn Taylor also comments: “I hope we can take this winning home form on the road next weekend”.
Poland: Silesia Volley lost 3-1 v KS Murowana Goślina
Silesia Volley headed north on Saturday to play KS Murowana Goślina – 2nd seed in the league table.
Laybourne in defence for Silesia
After a delayed match start Silesia and KS Murowana Goślina locked horns and the battled commenced. The first set was tightly contested with both teams serving and siding out well. Unfortunately two indecisive unforced errors in the 20s caused Silesia to loose the first set 23-25. Frustrations were high but the team changed ends confident that the table could be turned. The second set played out much the same, however at 12-14 down the Silesian coach made a traditional double sub and the girls made a great impact. Good blocking and a varied offence ensured that this set would swing Silesia’s way 26-24.
With one set a piece with everything to play for, the third set started. KS Murowana Goślina took a small two point lead early on in the set and maintained it throughout. Silesia challenged in multiple rallies but unfortunately they were unable to take the lead and lost the third set 21-25. A slightly tarnished Silesian team took the court for the fourth set and very quickly the score line took a turn for the worst. Silesia found themselves 4-14 down but some determined individuals ensured that all was not lost and the team fought back. As KS Murowana Goślina were never under any pressure in the fourth set they went on to win 25 -20 and took all three points from the match. Laybourne comments:
‘This game and result was really disappointing as we were worthy of taking points from this opposition. Unfortunately unforced errors at crucial times were unforgiving today and I hope the team can learn from this experience.’
Switzerland: Jen Thom’s VBC Biel-Bienne lost 3-1 v Toggenburg
Jen Thom
VBC Biel-Bienne played Toggenburg this weekend. Jen reports: ”We lost 3-1 (25:21, 14:25, 25:20, 25:23). Although we were disappointed with the result, there were lots of positives to take forward. To win the second set so convincingly and that the other sets were all close shows the progress we have made and that this team is beatable. We just need to work on all the small areas of the game that cost us points and that is that make the difference between winning and losing sets. The whole team is working hard and hopeful of a win soon.”
VC Kanti lost 3-0 v Volley Koniz in the Battle of the Brits
A disappointing match for VC Kanti in their end of Battle of the Brits this week. Despite wanting to come out all guns blazing, and a start of the first set that saw the teams trading for points, Kanti failed to put the pressure on at key times and made too many errors. The second set looked more promising, with different players stepping up to score and fighting up until 20:20, but with some strong hitting from Koeniz and some better defending, they took the second set 25:21. Perhaps if Kanti had been able to finish this set of, it could have been a different story. Despite the ten minute break to re-set, Kanti could not come back any stronger in the third, resulting in a thoroughly disappointing performance and 3-0 loss.
VC Kanti's Osborne and Goulet
Osborne commented, “This was a frustrating match. Koeniz out played us and we didn’t put enough pressure on at key times, find solutions to score nor hustle enough in defence. We’ve had some great performances in recent games so its time to pull those out of the bag once more. We now rely on a mid week match from other teams to ensure that we qualify for the top 5, although it looks likely. We’d then play Koeniz twice more and hope to bring the game we are capable of to them. With a few injuries and illnesses in the team this week, it wasn’t the strongest week of training for us but this was too frequently reflected in how we played this weekend. Time to pick ourselves up, get back on the court and train harder. Next week is VFM, currently in first position for the last match of regular season next week.
It was, however, a great opportunity for Jill and I to catch up with Bertelli and Thom in Bern. Having lost the match, we were on dinner duty, but never the less, a fun weekend with the swiss crew of GB.”
The Battle of the Brits winner, Maria Bertelli also reports:
Bertelli strong in Serve Receive for Koeniz
“Saturday’s match was important for us for 2 reasons… 1) to get the 3 league points and confirm our position in the play offs and 2) to deliver another improved performance that continues us back on the right track. We started strong with a really good focus about us, getting the point and thinking about the next ball. Its was obvious the players wanted this win. With strong serving backed up by solid block defence it ended up being a comfortable victory.”
Spain: Janine Sandell and Lynne Beattie both enjoyed the weekend off from action in the Spanish Superliga. Lynne comments:
“I am really looking forward to being back in action this weekend in our first competitive match of 2012. We have a tough game ahead, but we have put in a lot of hard work over the last few weeks to make sure we are ready for the second half of the season, so we go into the game very confident
