NVL Division Three North |
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Report written by Miriam Kay |
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Illness, injury and family commitments saw a much depleted squad appearing to play last Sunday. The infamous return of Jane Kinnis from retirement meant that we had 7 eager players to take on North Riding eagles. Unfortunately, Riga got off to a very slow start, failing to communicate effectively, meaning that Eagles soon took the lead. In true Riga style, the girls regained composure and began to fight back, but it was too little too late and we lost the set 23-25. Riga started the second set with renewed vigour following encouragement from coach Chris. Some fantastic hitting by Helen and some effective blocking by Mim meant that Riga had both a strong attack and defence. Consistently good passing from libero Julie ensured a win of 25-20. In the third set, Riga continued with their attacking play. Ginny kept the Eagles girls on their toes with her constant variety of sets (combined with the occasional ‘Hand of God’). Effective hitting from both Jayne and Clare kept the pressure high throughout, and Riga soon claimed a comfortable victory 25-16. Determined to make up for losing the first set, Riga put up both a strong attack and defence in the 4th set, not allowing Eagles to gain any momentum, and the set was won 25-9. Special mention must be given to Jane Kinnis who not only saved us from defeat by coming out of retirement, but also played a blinder, at one point serving 5 aces in a row. Thank you Jane! MVP: Jayne Warman
The second match saw the return of Sharon to take up the middle position from Jane. Still high from our previous win, Riga started the first set with much enthusiasm, and strong hitting from Clare and Sharon ensured that we took the set 25-16. In the second and third set, Wirral fought back with renewed intensity, putting the Riga girls under pressure. Despite consistent setting from Ginny and fantastic control of the back court by Julie, Riga could not quite stave off the attack losing both sets 23-25. Even Chris’ tactical substitutions, bringing Jane K back on and switching Clare in to set could not disrupt Wirral’s focus. In the 4th set Mummy Jayne came to the rescue hitting shot after shot, each one precisely aimed to pick out gaps in the Wirral defence. This lifted Riga’s spirits and the girls soon responded by increasing their game to first rival and then surpass that of Wirral’s. Some fantastic serving by Helen and some effective blocking by Mim helped Riga take the set 25-19. The 5th set saw Riga take an early lead, thanks to some great hitting by Helen. Wirral fought back hard but Riga were not to be beaten, maintaining their composure and putting up a strong attack, winning the set 15-12. MVP: Jayne Warman
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