East Midlands Regional League Wednesday 18th April Leicester Athena 2 Derby Darkstar 3 Athena and Darkstar served up an enthralling encounter at the Morningside Leicester Arena as they battled it out in this top of the table clash. Watched on by 20 friends and family, Athena started sluggishly. After the first rotation of serves, Darkstar were 18-8 ahead as Athena failed to pass well enough to enable Sarah to create chances for Kristy, Adela, Alysia, Sam and Rebecca. Athena did rally late on thanks to solid serving by Kristy and Sam, but it wasn't enough and Darkstar won 25-20. Coach Paul rang the changes to try and bolster the first pass. Kristy switched to middle in place of Rebecca, Petra came on for Alysia as opposite and Monika came on as outside hitter. With so many changes, it was to be expected that it take Athena take a little time to settle and Darkstar powered into a strong 9-3 lead. Athena could not rally and lost 25-16. Two sets to nil down, it was time for some tough talking. With Petra replacing Monika outside and Alysia restored, Athena suddenly looked settled and dangerous. The first pass improved, giving Sarah much better options. Adela started to hit hard, Kristy and Sam began to make headway through the middle and Alysia's leftie hits started to find the corner. Both teams showed their determination with some outstanding rallies and chasing of "lost causes". It was a tight set, but Athena managed to eke out a small lead and hold it throughout the set to win 25-21. With their tails up, Athena roared into a strong lead in the fourth set. Darkstar's dangerous hitters were missing their mark and hitting into the net under pressure from Sam, Kristy, Sarah and Alysia's memorable blocks. Halfway through, they were cruising at 16-11 and a small comeback by Darkstar was not enough to stop Athena levelling the match at two sets each by winning 25-19. The deciding set was a tight affair. Both teams traded serves but Darkstar were marginally ahead at the turnaround. Great passing by Petra helped Athena draw level at 13 each but Darkstar's Shayne Hill served out to win the match. It was a great match with both teams showing lots of determination and effort. Athena made a wonderful recovery from 2-0 down to take it to the deciding set but Athena just ran out of energy at the last. Well done to Sarah, Alysia, Adela, Rebecca, Sam, MVP Kristy, Petra, Monika and unused sub Alex (so sorry we couldn't get you on court). We move on to the next match!
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East Midlands Regional League Wednesday 28th March Leicester Athena 3 Hermitage 0 With a number of players unavailable, Athena fielded a different system, played people out of position and a played a number of newer additions to the squad. Even with so much disruption, the skill and hard work of the team still cemented a satisfying 3-0 win against Hermitage. Athena switched to a 2-setter system with Faye and Alex setting. Sarah moved to outside with Adela and Monika played middle with Sam. Erin played as libero. It was the first time that Monika had ever played as a middle hitter, but she did a fabulous job. Athena eased themselves into the first set and the score was very even until strong serving by Alex, Faye and Monika pulled out a big lead. But it wasn't just the serving, some of the attacks by Adela, Monika and Sam were spectacular. Athena deservedly won the set 25-14. The second set was a lot closer as Hermitage fought back. Athena's first pass become ragged meaning that the setters had to work harder to create chances. Athena struggled to build much more than a 3 point lead all through the set and it was only at the end of the set that Athena drew away to win 25-21. Coach Paul made changes and brought Rebecca on for Monika who moved to her preferred position as outside hitter leaving Sarah on the bench. They started strongly and built a good lead and Julia came on for Adela to develop her experience. Athena closed the match out with a 25-20 set win. Well done to Sarah for collecting her first MVP nomination of the season. Everyone played their part and it was a very good performance considering the number of new players and the new system. East Midlands Regional League Wednesday 21st March Leicester Athena 3 Ashfield Vipers 1 Athena's regional league team overcame a dreadful start to beat a well-drilled and well-organised Vipers 1 team.
During warm-up, Kamila injured her knee and was left on the floor in considerable pain. She was taken to hospital for an x-ray as warm up continued, but the loss of one of our own in such a way affected the team. With Kamila injured, Kristy moved to middle with Sam, Monika made her debut as outside hitter with Adela and Sarah set with Alysia as opposite. They started the first set slowly, making uncharacteristic errors but still kept pace with Vipers. Neither team managed to gain more than a 3 point lead throughout the set and with the score at 23-20 down, coach Paul called his second time-out and told his team that they were going to win the set. With solid serving from Alysia and Adela, Athena ground out the first set 27-25. Faye came on to set with Sarah moving to outside in place of Monika. Vipers started the second set strongly and slowly eked out a lead to stand 13-7 then 16-20. But a superb round of accurate and damaging serving from Adela and a magnificent display through the middle by Kristy wrenched control of the set from Vipers and Athena won 25-23. After such a tight set, Athena seemed to dip in energy and focus in the third set and Vipers took advantage with their MVP, Kenworthy, coming up with some excellent hits. The introduction of Monika for Sarah and Alex for Alysia did nothing to halt the slide and Vipers won the third set 25-13. The fourth set was another tight affair with serves switching from side to side and neither team able to create an advantage. Once more the set went down to the wire, but Athena refused to be beaten and closed out the match 25-23. It was a fabulous match, a clash of styles with neither team giving any quarter. Kristy deservedly won MVP for a performance of real power and effort. All thoughts now turn to Kamila and fingers crossed that her injury is not serious. East Midlands Regional League Saturday 17th March Nottingham Rockets 0 Leicester Athena 3 Athena overcame another sluggish start to overpower Nottingham Rockets in the East Midlands Regional League.
With only six players available, and with Sarah not feeling her best, Faye took over setting duties and put in a composed performance. Alysia played as opposite, Kristy and Sarah played as outside hitters and Kamila and Sam played through the middle. Rockets started well but a little bit of inaccuracy by Athena with the first pass meant that they could not make their firepower count. Rockets sped into 9-3 lead before Coach Paul called a time out to help the team re-focus. Slowly, Athena began to take control of the match, slowing the first pass down and allowing Faye to find her groove. Kristy was deadly as outside hitter, winning a stream of points. As the set came to its conclusion, it was nip and tuck as the lead changed hands but Captain Sarah served the winning points to take the first set 27-25. Athena were more assured in the second set but were never allowed to run away with it by a defiant Rockets team. Sam took the ball at 11 each and served well to help Athena gain a 5 point lead which they never looked like giving up an they won 25-18. The performance in third set was a little more erratic with some truly standout moments when Faye and Kristy combined to devastating effect and as Kamila and Sam blocked out some dangerous attacks. Athena slowly strangled the life of out Rockets to win the third set 25-17 to seal the match. Congratulations to the team for a strong performance and well done to Kristy for her fourth MVP award of the season. East Midlands Regional League Wednesday 7th March Leicester Athena 3 Nottingham Casualties 1 Without head coach around, Athena’s regional league team prepared to play Nottingham Casualties, a new team to the regional league this season. This meant that Captain Sarah and Co-Vice Captain Kristy were in charge for the evening, putting more on their plate then ever before. The first set started with Sarah setting, Kristy and Julia outside, Sam and Kamila middle, and Petra as opposite. In true Athena style, they started the set off slowly, making mistakes in the back court which meant it was more difficult to put out a decent attack. However, after some words from Sarah, everyone started to pull together as a team, but it seemed a little too late as Athena lost the set 26-24. In the second set, Alex replaced Petra as opposite so that Petra could move to the outside. Athena seemed more determined and better prepared this set and, with a more solid first pass, they really started to get into the swing of the game. After some great support and cheers from the sidelines, Athena won 25-22. The third set was smoother sailing compared to the others. With the same lineup as the second set, Athena pulled away from a defiant Casualties team, including the play of the match, where Petra managed to save the ball off the side of the court and win the point from it. At one point, they were leading 18-9, so Faye replaced Sarah for the setting duties: the first time playing in a one-setter rotation with this team. The team did well, and they won the set 25-12. With little time left to play, Athena were motivated to win this set. With the same lineup as the end of the third set, Athena were met with a strong comeback from Casualites, meaning we had to fight hard for every point. Both teams eventually got to 24-24 and after a couple of points, Athena were ahead 26-25. The game winning point started with a great block from Sam from Casualties hardest hitter, which set the ball up to be received, set, and killed. All of the squad erupted with joy as they won 27-25. Thank you to the Nottingham Casualties for being such great competitors. But more importantly, thank you to our substitution players, scorers, and ref for supporting us throughout the game. Match report by Sarah Booth
East Midlands League Saturday 17th February Ashfield Vipers 1 2 Leicester Athena 3 Athena's regional league came back from a two set deficit to stun Ashfield Vipers 1. Athena started with a strong line up of Sarah, Alysia, Kristy, Adela, Sam and Kamila, but they very slowly as they struggled t0 cope with the cold temperature and the small, dark sports hall. They were tentative with their first pass and their hitting. Alex made her debut for Athena, coming on for Alysia as opposite hitter at 9:16 down but, although Athena started to close the gap, Vipers 1 took advantage to wi the first set 20-25. Athena started with second set with Alex in for Alysia and it was a close contest all the way through the set. At 17:18 down, Liza came on for Kamila whose serving had yet to hit the heights. However, Athena could not close the set out and Vipers took a 2-0 lead. Athena went back to their starting line-up with Sarah and Kristy making their feelings known ... we had not come this far to lose. Those words had an immediate effect as Athena scorched into the lead and powered to a 25-15 set win as Kamila found her serve and Adela and Kristy hitting with power and accuracy. With the wind in their sails, Athena repeated the score to even the match up at two sets apiece. So far this season, Athena had lost twice in the fifth set, against Viper's National League side in the National Cup and against Darkstar in the league. This time there was to be no heart-break as Athena withstood a rejuvenated Vipers team to win 15-12. Huge congratulations to Sarah, Alysia, Kristy (who was awarded MVP), Sam, Adela, Kamila, Alex and Liza. Now it was onto the Vipers 2 ... East Midlands League Saturday 17th February Ashfield Vipers 2 0 Leicester Athena 3 Athena brought Emma, Alex and Faye into the team for the second match as they switched to a 2 setter system to accommodate the players available. Faye was also making her debut and Emma making her second appearance.
Athena started with Alex and Faye setting, Sarah moving to outside hitter with Adela and Sam and Kamila staying as middle hitters. The first few points, Athena looked a little disjointed, which was to be expected considering the switch in format and the new players but soon, Kamila's serving and their overall technical ability started to show and Athena won 25-7. Emma, Alysia and Kristy came on for Alex, Adela and Sam and they quickly got into their groove to win 25-9. In the third set, Emma and Alex were setters, Kristy and Kamila as middle hitters and Sarah and Adela as outside hitters. Their power and experience was too much for a very young Vipers 2 team and they completed the 3-0 victory. Kamila took MVP as reward for her great serving and devastating middle hitting. It was an excellent effort by all the players and the pizza tasted especially sweet as we went for a team meal afterwards. East Midlands League Friday 9th February Loughborough Uni 1 Leicester Athena 3 Athena's regional league team got back to winning ways with a convincing performance against Loughborough University. Watched by Charlie and Ioanna from the local league team plus a few friends and family, all who had made the trip to Loughborough, Athena started with a strong team with Sarah setting, Sam and Kamila hitting through the middle plus Adela and Kristy as outside hitters, Athena eased into a strong lead in the first set. That allowed the coach to bring Liza on for Kamila and Julia on for Kristy. Athena won the set 25-13. Athena started the second set with the same 6 that finished the first as coach Paul showed his determination to give his local league players more experience at this level. The re-jigged team worked hard to eek out a strong lead that they kept through to the end, winning the second set 25-17. For the third set, Athena brought Emma on as setter for her first regional match, with Sarah moving to opposite. Emma showed no nerves at all, sending clear high passes to both middle and out wide, giving Kamila and Kristy lots of great sets which they duly dispatched for winning hits. As the set drew on, Athena's first pass became more wayward and that led to players being pulled out of position. On the other side of the net, Loughborough rallied to defend admirably and they deservedly won the third set 25-20. Athena reverted their starting 6 for the start of the fourth set and, having dropped a set, they responded with a performance of real power, blasting into a 14-2 lead. Julia and Liza both got more court time as Athena closed the match out with a 3 sets to 1 win (25-13, 25-17, 20-25, 25-14). It was an assured performance which allowed the coach to experiment and give valuable experience to players who should become regular regional league players in the coming months. East Midlands League Sunday 4th February Derby Darkstar 3 Leicester Athena 2 Sometimes, you play a great match, work really hard and just get pipped at the end, leaving you with a strange set of emotions, pride in the performance and disappointment in the result.
Athena took on Derby Darkstar on Sunday morning and took Darkstar all the way to five sets. The set scores showing how close it was with Athena losing out 21-25, 25-21, 25-23, 22-25, 8-15. Athena started with Kamila, Sam, Kristy, Adela and Sarah and started well, but seemed to lose their way in the middle of the set, giving Darkstar a lead. Although they worked hard to peg Darkstar back, they ran out of points as Darkstar won 25-21. In the second set, Kristy switched to middle and Petra came on as outside hitter, Sam moved to the bench. A slow start gave Darkstar a 5 point lead before Athena started to claw their way back. A strong finish, with Petra and Adela beginning to hit well through the Darkstar block, saw Athena win the second set. The third set followed a similar path, a slow start by Athena and a strong showing in the second half of the set allowed Athena to go into a 2-1 lead. However, Darkstar powered back to win the fourth set and take the match to a decider. At the turn-around, Athena were only 6-8 down but Darkstar served well to take the final set and the match. Well done to Kristy who was voted MVP, but special mention to Petra who hit and served really well. East Midlands League Wednesday 24th January Leicester Athena 3 Ashfield Vipers 2 0 Athena's regional league team made short work of an inexperienced Ashfield Vipers 2 team at the Leicester Sports Arena on Wednesday night. Coach Paul decided to give three local league players a chance to play, with Liza, Erin and Julia stepping up. Liza played all three sets as middle and served and hit very well, Julia played as outside hitter in the second and third set and showed some really deft touches and, finally, Erin played as libero and her passing created a secure platform for the rest of the team. Athena started with a strong line-up of Kristy, Petra, Sam, Liza, Alysia and Sarah (captain) and they eased into a big lead as Vipers 2 struggled with the strong serving. Second set saw Adela take over setting duties from Sarah and Julia introduced for Kristy. Once more, the strong serving from players such as Alysia gave the team a big lead they did not relinquish. Despite winning the set easily, the first pass to Adela was much too wayward and, in between the second and third set, Sarah showed her leadership qualities by demanding an improvement. Kristy replaced Petra. Athena played with more control of the first pass, allowing Adela more time to set. Well done to Alysia on being voted MVP by Vipers 2 ... a reward for her great serving and clinical hitting. It was a successful return to league action as Athena's regional league team beat a game Nottingham Rockets at the Leicester Sports Arena last Wednesday.
Coach Paul had a big squad to call upon as he called up a few players from the local league team and Lisa, Joy, Erin and Julia all got to show what they can do. Athena started with a strong team and breezed into a healthy lead. Erin made her regional league debut as libero and produced a series of good passes to Sarah. With Petra and Kristy as outside hitters, Sam and Kamila through the middle and Alysia as opposite, Athena were too strong for the Rockets. Liza then came on for Sam for her first taste of regional league action and played very well. The second set was a disappointment as Athena put in a very rare poor performance. Their movement in backcourt was slow, passes inaccurate and that meant a close, tight set where Rockets were always slightly ahead. Athena lost the set 25-19. In the third and fourth sets, Athena played like their usual selves allowing Paul to make changes and experiment. Joy came on as libero and put in one of her best performances, while Julia showed her qualities as outside hitter with a string of good serves and hits. Rebecca came on for Kamila through the middle and Liza got a few minutes at the end of the fourth set. All-in-all, it was a good match with Coach Paul able to change things around and bring in a raft of new players as part of their development. With two 17-year olds, a 20 year old and with 2 DMU students, it is good to see younger players starting to make their mark with the regional league squad. Athena won 25-9, 19-25, 25-12,25-11 .... and Kristy bagged her first MVP of the season. |
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