Pony-tails: high. Face-paint: on. York put on their game faces and readied themselves for the highly-anticipated War of Roses. The match started with high expectations from the York crowd, with the atmosphere tense and ready for the climb to the 25-point win. The game was a best of three, needing a two-point difference for the win.
The starting whistle brought a silence of anticipation to the court, and teams concluded their strategy talks. The first match began with some uncertainty, with both sides not yet sure of their opponents’ strengths and tactics. The first point of the match went to Lancaster, and York struggled with their communication, consequently conceding points to Lancaster.
With a brief time called, York became more vocal, and their organisation on the court began to clear, with lovely digs and spikes between the team, climbing their way up the scoreboard. Solid blocks from York’s number six, returning Lancaster’s strong spikes to their side, forced Lancaster to send the ball straight into the net. A dramatic dive by number three, which unfortunately did not win them a point, was a true show of York’s drive to win. York began to close the gap further.
The gaps in Lancaster’s defence began to show, and York took advantage of this, sending the ball to their weak side (left of court), forcing Lancaster into long, loopy balls out of court. There was an intense close-to-the-net battle between front players, overhand volleying the ball, making for an exciting watch in the stands, with York slamming the ball into Lancaster’s strong side (right hand corner of the court). However, Lancaster maintained their lead, even as both teams began to relax into the game. York offered up as much aggression and drive to win as they could. Towards the end of the first match, Lancaster peeled away from York, and headed towards a decisive win in the first match. The final point of the game was a satisfying ace from York. It was a battle, but Lancaster secured the win with 25-14 at the end of the game.
With a swapping of sides, the second match began. York knew they needed this win for a chance of success. The first few points to York, and the energy of the crowd grew immeasurably! Lancaster quickly closed the gap, with amazing rallies between the teams, making it six times over the net. York’s players 10 and 27 demonstrated an excellent feat of teamwork, setting and spiking between them three times before making the kill to the top corner of Lancaster’s side. This was an excellent part of the game to watch. York’s points gained were incredibly satisfying to watch. In this match, Lancaster kept the ball close to the net, with York scrambling for the return. The 14-8 lead for Lancaster was quickly closed by York after Lancaster fouled and hit the ball on the wrong side. York took this and ran, making a five-point recovery. After an offside from Lancaster players, the score was at a nail-biting 17-16 to Lancaster. York then equalised after Lancaster made a swift pass to the ceiling.
At this point, York spectators went absolutely wild! The York team knew that they had to take the lead, and so they did. The team acted on every available opportunity and you could feel their complete dedication to claiming their victory. The comeback the crowd was rooting for, unfortunately did not happen, as Lancaster upped-the-ante and delivered some devastatingly effective shows of strength and spiked the ball into victory. The match concluded with a 23-25 win for Lancaster, a tantalisingly close game and one that I hope York take as an amazing show of sportsmanship as they battled Lancaster until the end, refusing to lower morale and dedication throughout. Great work to both teams!
