Aylesbury Vale Volleyball Club

Buckinghamshire Volleyball

Vale head into the Christmas break undefeated

12 Dec 2007

Vale 3
R.S.S 1
25-15; 25-23; 15-25; 27-25

Vale go into the Christmas break undefeated in the league after seeing off a spirited (and given the time of year perhaps aptly named) Rudolf Steiner side. It was a good win for Vale who had lost to Steiner on two occasions the previous season.

Vale started well as they took the game to Steiner. The Steiner defence could not get to grips with the powerful Vale attack as Captain Chris Seal racked up point after point. It was simple stuff for Vale who eased through the 1st set 25-15.

Some substitutions in the 2nd set led to a slow start for Vale. Poor passing and unforced errors allowed Steiner to build up a 7 point lead. Vale got their game together again however and some good blocking from Middle hitter Grezgorz Ilkzuk saw Vale claw their way back and eventually take the 2nd set 25-23

Things started to go wrong in the 3rd set, when playmaker Artur Figlarski picked up an injury and Vale were forced into a new strategy. Steiner capitalized on a disjointed Vale defence to take the 3rd set easily 15-25.

The 4th set was close, with both sides showing great commitment. Outside hitter Marek Lewandowski had stepped in for Artur and he combined well with setter Sanne Kruize as Vale were eventually able to grind out a 27-25 win.

The win means that Vale keep up the pressure on league leaders Welwyn who are also undefeated so far this season.

Team: Chris Seal (c), Yohei Higashi, Tim Chandler, Artur Figlarski, Sanne Kruize, James Raymond, Grezgorz Ilkzuk, Marek Lewandowski

Most valuable player: Chris Seal