|
After Chris' coaching dream of being able to take the full squad of twelve to RAF Hawks faded with work and family commitments, the remaining eight players made their way across country to Lincolnshire for the second time this season. By match time Chris and Rodney were beginning to show the pressure, needing Clare and Sharon to calm them down, as the remaining six team members turned up with a minute to spare after forgetting to check their watches during the coffee stop!
Luckily the disorganised nature of our arrival was not matched by our play as we ran out easy 25-5 winners of the first set. An almost error-less performance and strong serving from Clare and Mim meant the only complaint at the change of ends was from Brittany because she didn't have a chance to serve! There was an almost inevitable relaxation in the second set as Hawks picked up their play. But with excellent cover from Jayne and Svea and the middle players revelling in their role back court without a libero, Riga were always going to be too strong and ran out 25-14 winners. The third set saw the error count drop again as Elissa consistently found holes in the Hawks defence, Sharon embarked on her record serving run and Brittany and Svea began to get their rhythm back on their hitting following the long break since their last matches in November. In the end Riga ran out 25-8 winners for a relatively easy 3-0 victory that keeps us chasing league leaders Herts Nomads. Well done Brittany for getting player of the match.
A satisfying, if not enthralling match over, Riga then played two friendly sets against a local league side before beginning the long journey home. The key learning points - one - remember to check your watch during coffee stops (we promise Chris and with Jayne and Ginny not there for the next match, it shouldn't be a problem) and two - how much easier volleyball is when you don't make unforced errors!
|