Match Report

Oxford W2 vs Aston, Nottingham Trent, Cranfield

Date:
31 Jan 2010
Location:
Oxford
Result:
2-0, 1-2, 0-2
Players:
Lucy Ford, Karolina Lada (Setter/Opp), Emma Davenport, Sandra Rankovic (Middle), Jacqueline Cheng, Jane Ding (Outside), Paul Swift (Coach)

Comments

The W2 team, aka 'the flying pizzas', had our first league tournament of the season this weekend. The team had cut its teeth at the EVA qualifiers, as well as friendlies against OVC and Brookes. Before the tournament evan began, however, there were twists and turns aplenty. When Jane Ding, the indomitable (and occasionally unnervingly medical) captain went to check with Iffley reception the night before, she was calmly informed that no bookings had been made! It was all sorted out in the end, although Jane did have to go 'mano y mano' with a boxing coach for the sake of her team.

Our first match of the morning was against Aston, a team that brought a lot of enthusiasm and energy to court, but little experience and only five players. Oxford mopped up the pressure with relative ease, taking the many free balls offered by the opponents and converting them into attacks. Lethal serving by Karolina Lada was key, as was excellent defensive work by Jane and Jacqueline Cheng, on loan from W1. The setters relied heavily on probing middle attacks by Emma Davenport and Sandra Rankovic.

The second match, against Nottingham Trent, was a tenser affair. Trent were a fascinating team, since they had players with good skills, but had little concern with the aesthetics of three-touch volleyball. Only five players strong, they concealed it well by loading up the back-court. With few attacks and taking full advantage of the (necessarily) lenient reffing, Trent stormed into a one-set lead. Adapting their tactics, Oxford played better in the second set. The setting in particular, from Karolina and Lucy Ford, meant that the team could be much more aggressive, while at the same time the back-court were moving well to absorb the clever free balls and tips from Trent. Oxford won the second set in fine style, playing their best volleyball of the season thus far. In the third set, however, Oxford lost energy and Trent pulled ahead. This was due to a combination of fitness and more importantly of experience. For some of the players, this was the first time that they were playing a true competitive game, against opponents they were willing and able to beat. The tension told and with lower energy levels, Oxford were defeated, 2 sets to 1.

After reffing an uninspiring match between Aston and Trent, the final match of the day was against Cranfield, a team that had dropped down from first division. Well-equipped with both skills and height, their weakness was in the set. As a result of this their most experienced players, a middle and an outside, had throughout the day been less effective than they should have been. Oxford coped well with the powerful serving by Cranfield, and stayed competitive throughout the first set. This was aided by Constanze Neumann's new-found ability to strike down the line. Cranfield's steadiness told, however, and they closed out the set 25-20. In the second set, Cranfield wisely abandoned their habit of tipping from the middle, and focussed exclusively on a powerful hit cranked through the outside. This went well over our block, and the Oxford defence could contain it only sporadically. Their new-found weapon was to stand Cranfield in good stead, and they swept both the set and the match.

Oxford W2 can be justifiably proud of their performance over this tournament. They played high-energy aggressive volleyball and came together extremely well as a team. The Trent match was eminently winnable, but it is those irritating might-have-been results that linger and provide instructive match experience. Thanks in particular go to Isabel Berwian and Alex, who volunteered their time to referee, to Claire who organised the tournament, and to Jackie, who came in to help the team in their hour of need.

Report by Paul

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