Nottingham Rockets hosted a pre-season tournament for regional league teams in the East Midlands. Athena sent two teams, one made upof NVL players plus three juniors and one made up of regional league players. Here is what the respective captains had to say: Charlie captained the regional league squad: "Athena 1 sported a new team at the Nottingham Adult Grand Prix this year, with Charlie setting, Ioana as opposite, Alex, Anna and Sam as middles and Maria and Eve as outsides. The first two matches were extremely tough. Going up against some very experienced players in other mixed teams - we lost our first two matches. We struggled with some high level serving from our opposition. Despite this, we did show some flashes of fabulous 3 touch volleyball. After so long without playing, it was only to be expected that people would be rusty and Athena struggled in the next couple of matches= but bounced back later in the day to win. With our first win, everyone relaxed more, and our last match was much more fun, despite not winning the last game. All in all, it was a good experience for us despite the losses. It helped to pin-point the areas we need to work on as a team to help us improve and play better together." Sarah captained the Athena NVL squad:
"On the 11th September, Athena’s NVL team brought a team to the Nottingham Rockets Adult tournament – however this was a new team for Athena to enter. We had new adult players of Kristina and Jess join us who have been training with us for a few months now, but we also brought 3 juniors: Chiara, Rahel and Izzy. They joined with previous Athena NVL players of Sarah, Michelle, Algi, Petra, and Paulina, we forged one great team and introduced part of our new look squad to the county. We started off with the first 2 matches going successfully, winning 31-26 and 33-16 respectively. There were admittedly a few errors on our side, however the team cohesiveness only improved with time and experience. As we had 3 setters on the team, Coach Steve kept swapping players in/out to ensure everyone was able to play as much as each other, and this didn’t seem to affect the ability and scoring power of the team which was positive to see. At the halfway point of the tournament, we were moved to the other court side, as we had won our first games and were now in the top 4. On this side, we had to adapt to a men’s height net and were now playing against 3 predominantly male teams, with only one or two female players on each team. As the only female team of the tournament, this could have been a daunting experience, particularly for our younger teammates who haven’t experienced much game play yet. However, our skills, tactics, and ability continued, and everyone rose to the challenge. Some real highlights came from this experience – notably Rahel blocking an outside NVL men’s player, and Chiara’s serving weakening the opponent in each game we played. Although we didn’t win the 2 games we faced in the latter half of the tournament, we came 4th overall and Coach Steve seemed suitably impressed and happy with how we played, particularly as we seemed to have improved from our friendly earlier in the week against Coventry & Warwick Riga. This only shows the positive signs for the future!" A bit thank you to Nottignham Rockets for organising the tournament, it was great fun and will be very useful as the teams prepare for the new season.
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This season was definitely good for Regional Team. We ended up 2nd in the league with 22 points. We won 6 matches and lost 4 - which was far above our goals for the season. The team grew stronger throughout the season. After a disappointing loss to Ashfield Vipers, we managed a few wins in the row which really helped with confidence. Although defeats were hard to take, we worked harder at training and came back stronger. Every single player improved significantly over the season but, most importantly, we learned how to work together. Sometimes we faced lack of communication on the court and a lack of self-belief meant that we weren't able to play at our best. This season definitely helped every one of us to develop our skills and grow individually but most importantly it helped us to bond together and grow as a team. We learned to help each other overcome issues and came out with friendships stronger than ever. Despite season being cut short, we had a lot of fun and made so much memories. We can’t wait to play together and have a laugh at trainings again. Thank you to Regional League captain, Julia Golinska, for this end of season report. East Midlands Volleyball League Sunday 8th March 2020 Leicester Athena 2 Lincoln Cannons 3 (25-20, 25-21, 23-25, 18-25, 12-15) Leicester Athena’s regional league team blew a commanding 2 sets lead to lose to a well-organised Lincoln Cannons side on Sunday. Playing in their fabulous new black and red kit from Sportsway Management, Athena started with Eli setting, Ioana opposite, Sam and Tereza middle, Edyta and Allie as outside hitters. With Joy injured, they played without a libero for the first time this season. Athena cruise into the lead Athena started well, they showed great defensive organisation to overcome a stubborn Cannons side who, themselves, repelled some great attacking plays from Edyta and Tereza. Allie was hitting really well, connecting with some fabulous wide sets to hit down the line. The first set was a little scrappy with passes going awry, but Athena worked their way through it to take control. Coach Paul had the luxury to blood debutant Emily who, despite only playing for a couple of months is showing a wonderful ability to learn. They won the first set 25-20 and looked even more fluent to win the second set to 21. The wheels begin to fall off Athena started the third with Julia replacing Edyta as an outside hitter. They continued to plug away as Lincoln Cannons upped their game and made some more dangerous attacks. Athena’s focus was beginning to wane as the set continues. Things looked very finely poised when a moment of misfortune seemed to change the momentum of the match. Tereza fell in back court and twisted her ankle. Emily was brought on again, but this time into the more complex middle hitters position and Edyta was brought back on for Julia. However, the disruption affected the concentration and Cannons won a very tight set by 2 points. Lincoln grab the initiative With their tails up, Cannons began to punish Athena errors with Athena looking tired and disorganised. Tereza was back on but her ankle was hindering her. Sam, though, was beginning to hit very well and won some crucial points, but Cannons greater consistency helped them pull ahead to level the match with a 25-18 set win. For the final set, Julia replaced Ioana as outside and Emily came on again for Allie but Cannons were not to be denied. They quickly forged a strong 7-3 lead and, although Athena rallied, they sealed the match. Well done to Lincoln who played really well and created a fabulously entertaining macth with long rallies and lots of skill and endeavour. There were some high points:
East Midlands Volleyball League
Sunday 2nd February 2020 Leicester Athena 1 Derby Darkstar (11-25, 15-25, 25-12, 18-25) Athena's regional team failed to reach the standards of recent matches as they lost to a very talented Derby Darkstar team. Darkstar dominate with the serve Coach Paul started with more-or-less the same team that beat Hermitage: Eli setting, Julia as opposite, Sam and Amanda through the middle, Tereza and Edyta as outside hitters and Joy as libero. The early exchanges were very even with both teams passing and attacking well, Julia showing great presence of mind to hit smart balls into gaps in Darkstar's defence. But, at 4-6 down, Darkstar's Stryzowska came up to serve. Her low, strong serves caused huge problems for Athena. Despite two time-outs and Adela replacing Edyta, Athena only broke the serve with the score at 17-6. Such an onslaught ruined any confidence or flow in the team and Darkstar ran out the set easy 25-11 winners. Adela replaced Tereza for the second set but Athena failed to get into gear. Nervousness affected every contact, with the first pass to the setter still being wayward. When an attack opportunity was created, the hitters snatched at the ball, hitting the net 3 times in succession. Alessandra replaced Edyta and Tereza moved to the middle to replace Amanda, but Darkstar still won 25-15. Athena fights back After 2 exasperating sets, Athena finally began to play. Alessandra's extra height began to tell as she powered a number of excellent line kills. In backcourt, as well, Joy's passing improved and her positional sense meant that she was able to field a lot of Derby attacks, Alessandra added more calmness to the defence and Adela seemed to be everywhere covering the tips. Athena won the set 25-12 proving that they have the skills and firepower to compete. That positive energy carried onto the fourth set with Sam blocking well, Tereza making some crucial hits and Alessandra continuing to hit well. But a loss of concentration popped the bubble of confidence and Athena stuttered. With Athena starting to fall behind, a strong serving set from Eli brought the score back, but Athena could not get back to the levels in the third set and Derby closed the match out 25-18. Chances spurned Well done to Derby who thoroughly deserved their victory, but the third set showed that this was an opportunity lost. Congratulations to Adela for being nominated MVP and thank you to Charlie for refereeing excellently and to Saffron from the NVL team for scoring. East Midlands Volleyball League
Sunday 26th January 2020 Leicester Athena 3 Hermitage 0 (25-9, 25-11, 25-19) Athena’s regional league team cruised to a 3-0 win over Hermitage. Adela stepped into the outside hitter role with both Julia and Ioana missing. Eli was setting as usual, Amanda and Sam played middle and Edyta and Tereza played as outside hitter .. Joy was the libero. Athena started brightly with Eli and Adela serving very well. Despite the first pass not being accurate, Eli was able to set up Edyta, Tereza and Adela for a number of killer hits. Hermitage had no answer to the constant attacks and Athena won the first set 25-9. The second set started scrappily. Athena were still accumulating points through their hard, pinpoint serving but the sharpness of attack was missing due to some sloppy passing. Alessandra was introduced for Tereza half way through the set and quickly eased into the pace of the match. Athena won the set 25-11. Alessandra kept her place for the start of the third set. The first pass improved and that allowed Athena to attack harder, but it also led to an increase of hitting errors. Joy’s passing, in particular, really picked up as she delivered the ball exactly where Eli wanted time and again. Halfway through the set, Terzea came back on, this time for Edyta. With two sets in the bank, Athena’s concentration level began to slip leading to a series of silly errors, but a time out with Hermitage leading 14-16 re-invigorated the team. Athena powered through the remainder of the set to win 25-19. Once more, Athena’s regional league team showed that they have some devastating power when serving and attacking. Well done to Adela for being nominated MVP. Thank you to Petra for refereeing and to Alex and Maria for scoring. East Midlands Volleyball League
Sunday 13th January 2020 Lincoln Cannons 1 Leicester Athena 3 (25-21, 22-25, 16-25, 12-25) Athena's regional league team made up for a slow start by beating Lincoln Cannons 3-1. Athena started with Eli setting, Julia opposite, Sam and Amanda as middle hitters, Tereza debuting as outside with Edyta and Joy as libero. Their last match or training session was mid-December and the rustiness showed with poor communication, wayward passes and a lack of movement in the backcourt. Athena's slow start Lincoln were very strong in defence and they worked hard to recover balls. Their tactic seemed to be to get the ball over the net and wait for Athena to make mistakes and Athena duly obliged. Poor serves, failing to deal with soft Lincoln serves and poor positioning meant that Lincoln won the first set 25-21. Coaches Paul and Sarah kept the same side for the second set and they slowly started to come alive. The pass was more controlled and Eli was beginning to find Tereza and Edyta. Tereza, in particular, began to hit with real authority. It was close and edgy still, but Athena won the second set 25-22. Athena begin to dominate Athena was now started to flow. More accurate passing allowed Eli to set beautifully and Edyta was showing great intelligence with her placing and Tereza was using her height to her maximum advantage. Through the middle, Sam was starting to fire and Julia was using her court-smarts to find holes in the Lincoln defence. The serving was more consistent, putting pressure on Lincoln who were making more and more mistakes. Athena eased to the third set 25-16. As Athena started to click into gear, Lincoln started to retreat and the fourth set was a . comfortable one. Amanda's serving was hitting its mark as was Eli's and Edyta and the whole team was beginning to move and adjust and play like a well-oiled team. Ioana had to be rushed onto court as an emergency outside hitter while Tereza had to leave the court for a couple of points for a nature break, but nothing phased the team now. Athena won the set 25-12. After such a long lay-off, it was a very good performance from Athena. They threw off any rustiness to dominate Lincoln and win their 5th match of the season. Eli wins MVP Well done to Eli for her MVP nomination but there were valuable contributions from everybody. East Midlands Volleyball League
Saturday 14th December 2019 Ashfield Vipers Alumni 3 Leicester Athena 0 Athena's Regional League team's winning streak came to a crashing end at the hands of Ashfield Vipers Alumni. Athena started the first set with Eli as a setter, Julia as opposite, Alessandra and Edyta as outside, Tereza and Sam as middle and Joy as a libero. The team started well with controlled passes and very good hits from Alessandra. Edyta showed a great movement in the back court which allowed Eli to have some very good sets. However due to few mistakes while serving and receiving Vipers got into the lead and managed to close the set with 25-23. Second set looked very promising. Athena started strong with Tereza’s serves. Sam did a great job blocking most of Viper’s hits. Edyta showed a great accuracy in her hits and Joy’s back court work was outstanding. However Vipers’ would always get the ball back and after some time Athena started to make loads of mistakes due to miscommunication in the back court. The team lacked good receive what made the first pass inaccurate. Vipers won the set again with 23-20. Third set was not the best one. Girls showed a lot of good skills individually however failed to work as a team. Athena lost a lot of points due to poor serving receive. Even with Tereza and Sam’s accurate middle hits, girls lost again with the score 25-14. Congratulations to Eli for getting MVP for her hard work with getting to the ball on time and for amazing serves. Well deserved. Thank you to Julia for the match report East Midlands Volleyball League
Sunday 1st December 2019 Leicester Athena 3 Nottingham Rockets 0 Athena's regional team were in brutal form as they brushed aside a young Nottingham Rockets team in three sets. Athena started with a strong line-up despite the late withdrawals of Adela and Amanda. Eli was setting, Julia played as opposite, Tereza and Sam played as middle hitter, Edyta and Alessandra played as outside hitters and Karina made her debut as libero. Eli's serving allowed Athena to build an early lead in the first set. There were a number of very long rallies with both sets of players recycling the ball well and creating opportunities but Athena managed to edge out these early exchanges and this fuelled a confidence within the side. Karina's passing grew as the set progressed and Sam was hitting some beautiful attacks through the middle. Rockets came back midway through the set but Athena held out 25-16. Athena started the second set a bit slowly and were 6-2 and 9-3 down before strong serving from Eli and Edyta pulled the set level. Karina's passes were starting to find their mark, landing just where Eli wanted them and this allowed Eli to set up Tereza, Alessandra and Edyta for big hits. Once more Athena won the set 26-16. Joy replaced Karina as libero for the third set and Edyta broke Rockets' resistance with a fine display of hard, low, accurate serving. By the time she served a jump serve into the net, Athena were 15-1 up. Athena sealed the match with a 25-6 win. Although this is a young Rocket's side, Athena showed a ruthlessness and swagger about their play. Edyta deservedly won the MVP nomination for her unplayable serves but also for her strong passing and accurate hitting. Sam and Tereza are returning to fitness after their ankle injuries and played well, Julia was full of sparkle and intelligence and Eli set beautifully. Alessandra played really well despite a reoccurrence of an elbow injury in the warm-up which put her participation in doubt. East Midlands Volleyball League Sunday 24th November 2019 Leicester Athena 3 Ashfield Vipers 1 Athena's Regional league team produced their best performance of the season to see off a spirited Ashfield Vipers team. Athena started with Eli setting, Adela playing as opposite, Sam and Amanda through the middle, Edyta and Julia as outside hitters and Joy as libero. Both sides started off tentatively with serve and pass errors but Vipers began to eke out a lead as Athena's serve receive took time to gel. Evenso, Vipers could not get away and Athena kept plugging away with some excellent scrambling but, try as they might, they could not overhaul Vipers and Vipers won the first set 25-20. Coach Paul switched Julia and Adela for the second set and that immediately produced results with the team looking much more balanced. They played outstanding volleyball, with a solid first pass allowing Eli to set up Sam, Adela and Edyta for winners. In defence, Sam, Amanda and Eli made crucial blocks. Adela shone when serving as well, serving 9 winners in a row to break Viper's resistance. Athena won the second set 25-10.
Athena were unchanged for the third set and Vipers came back hard, with excellent back court hits and scrambling. Athena didn't play as well but they worked hard and chased down lost causes and scrapped their way to win the set 27-25. It was a measure of their progress that they stayed focussed when set point down to clinch the third set and take a lead. The same side started the fourth and Athena established a slim early lead and worked hard to keep Vipers at bay. Adela and Joy were covering everything in back court, Julia was tipping and placing the ball in gaps in the Vipers defence, Edyta was hitting very well and Amanda was hitting winners through the middle. Tereza replaced Sam halfway through the set with instructions to close the set out. Athena clinched the fourth set 25-19 to win 3-1. It was an outstanding performance, full of technique, energy, focus and demonstrated the quality within the regional league squad. Eli was nominated MVP by Vipers, reward for her hard low serves, her excellent setting, her covering and her tips and blocks. A complete performance. However, every single player excelled and contributed to a memorable win against a very good Vipers team. Thank you to Petra for refereeing, Alex for scoring and Ioana for cheering so wildly from the bench. East Midlands Volleyball League
Friday 15th November 2019 Loughborough Students 1 Leicester Athena 3 Athena's regional league team were made to work hard by Loughborough Students but managed to record their second successive away win of the season. Athena started with Ioana setting, Adela as opposite, Joy as libero, Tereza and Amanda as middle and Julia and Edyta as outside hitters. They started strongly too. Taking advantage of the Student's slow and uncertain start, they quickly pushed into a strong lead through a combination of solid serving and great middle hitting from Tereza. Athena won the first set 25-16. Loughborough began the second set much the stronger, serving well and defending resolutely. Loughborough's serving, in particular, put Athena under pressure and their pass become very erratic. With Ioana being starved of good ball, Athena could not create any attacks and they lost the set 25-16. Sarah replaced the visibly tiring Ioana as setter for the third set and it was a very close fought set. Both teams were playing their best volleyball with many long, hard rallies. Loughborough led, then were pegged back by Athena. Athena crept into a 22-17 lead, but Loughborough roared back to 24-24 but, eventually, Athena toughed out a crucial 28-26 set win. That changed the balance of power and Athena strode away in the final set. Loughborough looked lost and could not contain the serving and hitting from Edyta. Athena sealed the win 25-14. Well done to Edyta for being nominated MVP and special mention to Tereza for playing through the pain of a sprained ankle. |
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