National League Division 1, 29th March 2003, Warwick Riga v Wessex
Warwick Riga 3 Wessex I 1 (25-22 25-17 21-25 25-15)
Warwick Riga secured third place in the overall standings of the National Volleyball League Division 1 after they beat Wessex in a very average game by 3 sets to 1 (25-22, 25-17, 21-25, 25-15). With one match still to be played, the boys from Warwick cannot be caught in the league & no matter what happens in their final match will have their best win / loss ratio since establishing themselves as one of the top teams in the country. So going in to the last home game of the season Riga were hoping to put on a good show but unfortunately got sucked in to a very scrappy game of volleyball by a team fighting to avoid relegation from the top flight! Coach Tom Young was forced in to an immediate change of personnel due to the suspension of Spaniard, Alex Medina who got his marching orders in the semi-final of the cup a few weeks earlier but all his players responded reasonably well to the new set up.
Wessex indicated from the start of the match that they had limited expectations and celebrated every point gained without dwelling too much on the many mistakes they made in the opening exchanges. Riga on the other hand took the reverse attitude and showed dissatisfaction following every mistake made on their side. The result was that in the first two sets Riga took early leads which instead of building on, managed to fritter away silly points making their game plan look a little unconvincing at times. The main problem was very simple, Riga were superior in every department & it was really a question of concentration from the local lads & how they approached the game. Both sets were won quite comfortably (25-22 and 25-17) but the Wessex side gained confidence from their own positive play and managed to step up their efforts in the third set.
The visitors created a substantial gap early into the third set (6-12) and took the set (21-25) despite Riga showing a recovery effort towards the end of the set when coach Young, let fly at his own players about their individual standards of play!
With Young’s words still fresh in their ears, the Warwick side was keen to re-establish their control on the game right from the start of the fourth set & this was duly achieved. An early lead was quickly secured (10-1) through good defensive play and blocking on the net. The lead was never in danger at any time throughout the remainder of the set and it finished 25-15.
Coach Tom Young indicated after the match that this was the least convincing win of the season and the one that he would love to forget as soon as possible. ‘This match shows that we do not have the required authority yet to win the easy matches without frustrating ourselves. We have to maintain our own level better and build up confidence in these matches if we want to go forward and seriously compete for the national championship next season’, he said. On a more positive note however he added that he is very pleased that over the last two seasons Warwick Riga has established itself as one of the top teams in the country, and that the team’s ambitions are obvious when looked at in the light of the disappointment after a 3-1 win.
The last game of the season will be played on Saturday 12th April against Newcastle Staffs in Stoke when the Riga boys will be very badly depleted due to suspensions, unavailability due to work commitments & injury. Nonetheless, Young still expects his team to perform to the best of their capabilities & will be an excellent opportunity for the squad members to shine at the end of an overall, superb season.
Tom Spijkers