It was no April fool, despite what it felt like!
NVL Division 3C, 1 April 2007
Warwick Riga II 1 Cardiff Ladies 3 (20-25, 14-25, 25-29, 24-26)
Warwick Riga II 3 Leicester 1 (25-23, 25-21, 7-25, 25-18)
Report from Penny Smith
Warwick kicked off their final 2 games of the season by facing Canon’s Leicester without the experience of Ginny and the hitting and serving of Maja who were unable to make the matches.
The first set was a close affair, with the serve moving from one side to the other without a clear run of points. Warwick all felt in control of the set, which enabled Andy to bring on Annabelle for Jayne in order to win the set, finally at 25-23.
Warwick stepped up a gear in the second set, and with some superb serving from Jayne took the set 25-21. After two successful sets Andy Collins was expecting a clear 3-0 win; however the team didn’t manage to win the third set, and the score….well let’s move on the fourth set…..
The fourth set proved to be Warwick’s third set of victory and thus the game, with a good 25-18 win after some good hitting by Ellie and some superb pick-ups by Sharon. A good victory for the team, albeit a slightly lack- lustre performance. Andy was expecting more in the next game….he should have saved the easter eggs he gave us until after we had played!
After Leicester winning the opening game against Cardiff Tigers, Warwick walked onto court a little too confident and found the Cardiff serving difficult to receive and lost a lot of points due to unforced errors. Jayne was subbed off quite early in the first set due to her knee giving way and never stepped back on to court. The first set and second sets were lost 25-20 and 25-14. Andy tried to inspire the team and Clare tried her best to raise everyones spirits. This helped Warwick win the third set 25-19, with some good serving by Sharon, setting by Clare, and hitting from Penny, Annabelle and Michele. Andy hoped that clinching the third set would enable Warwick to take the game; however after a nail biting finish, with every player on the Warwick team giving 100 percent effort the set was lost 26-24.
The team were a little dejected, two wins would have secured third place in the table; however it has been an enjoyable season, and many thanks to all the players and for Andy coping with his frustration, losing more hair, but still doing a good job!
Photo's courtesy of Chris Jones
(Click on each of the images to enlarge)
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