Newmarket Volleyball Club

Cambridge Superleague
Sunday 3rd February 2008

v
Perkins &
Harriers

Newmarket V C enjoyed welcome success in the Cambs Super league on Sunday. With the Super League comprising of the top two teams from Peterborough leagues and Cambridge leagues the competition is tough. But a resurgent Newmarket team were in top form to take victories against Peterborough Harriers and the Peterborough Perkins.
A depleted Newmarket team arrived with no substitutes, but having notched up a Suffolk cup match victory five days earlier with the bare minimum six players confidence was high.
The first match was a tight affair with the Harriers maintaining a 1 point lead for most of the first set before establishing a 3 point lead following a phase of poor outside hits from Newmarket. A time out from the Coach to rectify defensive weakness between the two setters brought instant results and Newmarket quickly levelled at 20:20 from 15:19 down. The setters then found good range connecting with Paul Freeman and Nik Mezanov who grounded every ball and edge the set 26:24 .

The second set was a similar affair and again at 20:20 could have gone either way. Newmarket again raised their game, and when Nik Mezanov took the serve a string of unstoppable jump serves finished the set at 25:22 . The third set was an easier affair with Harriers morale dented a 13:5 lead was rapidly built up. The setting partnership of Pete Saunders and Rob Dovaston came to the fore with the pair reverse setting superbly to confuse the harrier block and win endless points. Dovaston also found his range for the middle hitters and gave Pete Storm opportunity to thump several winners to the base line. The set finally won 25:20 for a 3:0 win .

The second match was to be even closer, but a tiring Newmarket team were brimming with confidence. Throughout the afternoon Tim Saunders faultless volleyball , with no hitting or serving errors, gave a solid foundation for the more flamboyant players to throw the combination attacks together. When standard attacks failed Newmarket were able to change hitters positions and win the next rally and this kept the Perkins defence wondering where the next attack was coming from. Both Newmarket setters Rob Dovaston and Pete Saunders controlled the game well and showed a great partnership giving hitters good options avoiding the big Perkin blockers. The first set was taken 25:21.

The second set saw a similar pattern and even at 24:22 down Newmarket's confidence was sky high, holding their nerve to take 4 unanswered points, thanks to Nik Mezanov serving to win 26:24. With the match won Newmarket relaxed too much in the third, and with no substitutes tired. Perkins took a 16:11 lead, but again a constructive time out allowed the team to regroup and fought back, with a string of very fast middle hits from Paul Freeman, to ensure the points difference finished in Newmarket's favour finishing 23:25 down, but with a 2:1 win and points difference 74:70.

This has been a crucial 2 weeks for the club, having sat at the bottom of the National league at Christmas and only a handful of wins, they have notched up 4 consecutive wins, sit top of the super league and clawed there way out of the bottom two in the National league.