Benchwarmers on good form in volleyball ladies’ league
Last weekend’s volleyball matches in the BP Sullom Voe Ladies’ League saw close-foughts wins for Benchwarmers and Sandwick against Ladyspurs and Hoodies respectively.
BP Sullom Voe Ladies League
Bench Warmers 3, LadySpurs 1
(18-25, 25-21, 25-22, 25-17)
Bench Warmers started strongly with good hitting from Shona Keith. Play continued with the teams being reasonably evenly matched, but good teamwork from LadySpurs helped them to pull ahead and confidently take the lead, winning the first set with a comfortable score of 25-18.
Bench Warmers came back fighting in the second set with increased determination from Andrea Tait rallying the team to stay in the game. Good setting from Gayle Johnson helped her team mate Shona Keith to come back with some powerful hitting, knocking the confidence of the LadySpurs team. Good pick- ups from Louise Moar helped LadySpurs stay in the game with the set still being close at 25-21 to Bench Warmers.
Good play from both teams in the third set meant the game was still anyone’s for the taking. However, Bench Warmers pulled together and began working excellently as a team. Long rallies and increased confidence meant that they continued strongly to win the third set 25-22.
The fourth set saw Bench Warmers storm ahead with excellent passing between the players. LadySpurs’ Louise Moar introduced some effective hitting and along with Gillian Copeland’s strong serving helped to gain her team some much-needed points and close the gap. Bench Warmers used their three touches effectively to increase their lead. Accurate serving by Michelle Stark of Bench Warmers won the crucial last points to bring her team a well-deserved victory.
MVPs were Shona Keith for Bench Warmers and Louise Moar for LadySpurs.
Sandwick Ladies 3, Hoodies 2
(25-17, 25-22, 17-25, 11-25, 10-5)
Sandwick won the toss and took an early lead with effective serving from Susan Brunton. Both teams were working hard with some long rallies and Hoodies soon closed the gap to 8-6 with a run of serves from Lauren Smith. Even play saw both teams begin to settle but it was Sandwick’s Joan Smith who gave her team the winning edge with fast and powerful serving, ending the set 25-17.
Hoodies seemed a bit unsettled going into the second set and consistent serving from Sandwick’s Susan Brunton saw them take an early lead of 8-1. Both teams continued to communicate well and use the full length of the court with Denise Morrison playing well at the net and using full advantage of her height to block any shots from Sandwick. With more confidence and determination Hoodies worked together to earn every point and level the set at 17-17. However, Sandwick’s experience narrowly won it 25-22.
Hoodies started off the third set well, gaining an early lead with Denise and Ruth Christie playing well in the middle of the court. Louise Birnie took control at the net with consistent and accurate setting which allowed her team time to organise and gain points. Sandwick continued to play well as a team and the set was point for point at 7-7. But it was Hoodies who were more controlled and won the set 25-17.
The fourth set opened evenly with strong serving from Ruth and Lauren White for Hoodies and Joan Smith for Sandwick ensuring end-to-end play for both teams. Hoodies held the lead from early on with Lauren Smith’s powerful spikes winning vital points for her team. Sandwick seemed to lose their voice and Hoodies won the set convincingly 25-11.
With time running out it was the team with the most points at 11pm who would win the match. Sandwick regained their composure and with determination took an early lead. Long rallies saw Hoodies try to steal control but in the end Sandwick won the set 10-5.
Most valuable players on the night were Ruth Christie for Hoodies and Joan Smith for Sandwick.
Fixtures Tonight – Clickimin Centre (men’s league): JBT v Sandwick at 7pm; DITT Globetrotters v Harry’s Hotspurs at 9pm.
