27 Nov 2023
Super League round 6 (25th and 26th November): Sideout and Rebels close gap on Durham
With the North East side without a game, the Rebels were 3-1 victors over Cambridge ARU at the Essex Sports Arena.
The hosts won the first set at a canter, 25-13, but Cambridge fought back to level at 1-1, winning the second 25-21.
It was at that point that Essex took a decisive grip on the match, winning the third and fourth 25-19, 25-21 to sit in third, three points off the top.
Lea Borovec contributed 22 kills, two blocks, 18 successful returns from 20 attempts and six digs, while setter Ellen Floyd completed 40 of 105 attempts, also serving four aces and making five kills.
Further support came from Catherine Tolley with seven kills, three blocks and seven digs, Madoka Weldon with 17 digs and 26 successful returns from 29 attempts and Emily Priestley with eight digs and 19 successful returns from 21 attempts.
For visitors Cambridge, Juliana Pallamin made 15 kills, completed 19 from 21 service returns and made five digs, while Abby Huffman claimed eight kills, made three blocks and completed 11 digs.
Sideout also continued their impressive start to the season as they moved to 4-0, having only dropped one set in the process, by beating Coventry and Warwick Riga 3-0.
While the hosts cruised through the first set at the University of East London SportsDock, 25-14, they found the visitors a tougher proposition from then on.
After taking the second set 25-19, the third was a test of stamina as well as skill before Polonia eventually edged it 35-33.
In between leaders Durham and third-placed Essex sit the Malory Eagles who have now won their last four matches in straight sets after losing two out of their first three.
Their latest success came as they proved to be too strong for capital rivals the London Lionhearts, winning 25-20, 25-15, 25-15 at Ernest Bevin College.
Leeds Gorse have started the 2023-2024 season well, but they were frustrated to lose a second successive game as they went down to a 3-1 defeat at the University of Nottingham.
It was the visitors who made the better start at the Jubilee Campus Sports Centre, taking the opening set 25-21.
But UON nicked a tight second set 27-25 and that proved to be pivotal as they completed the turnaround by adding the third and fourth sets, 25-17, 25-18.
Sandra Korusiewicz completed 27 kills – one of the highest totals in the season so far – along with serving two aces and completed 17 out of 18 service return attempts, as well as 12 digs.
Martina van Gorp completed four blocks and 10 kills, with Emma Gowin (11 kills), Isobel Brown (10 kills) and Abi Ketley (46 assists from 110 attempts) also enjoying success for the Green and Golds.
Eva Borrowdale was once again a standout performer for Leeds as she completed 23 kills, four blocks, 12 digs and completed all 20 attempts at receiving serve.
She was supported by Alessia Garnero who served six aces, completed all 22 returns of service and made six digs and 12 kills.
In the battle to avoid bottom spot in the men’s competition, The University of Nottingham held off Leeds Gorse 3-2 to maintain a two-point gap between the sides.
Gorse won a tremendous first set 29-27 and also won their the third 25-17 to lead 2-1, but on each occasion the hosts came roaring back to win the second and fourth sets, 25-22 and 25-23.
A tight tie-breaker seemed on the cards but, in the end, Nottingham ran away with it to close out a 15-6 success, with no less than 12 home players given court time.
Slater Bird made 15 kills to go with 18 out of 19 successful service returns and eight digs, while setter Adam Adie claimed 36 assists from 87 attempts and also made two blocks.
Joelson Santy served three aces, made four blocks and completed nine digs, Oliver Quick successfully completed all 26 attempted returns of serve and Gustavo Casou accounted for 11 of his team’s kills.
Gorse also mixed it up, using 13 players, with Nelson Murangwa completing 35 kills and nine digs, while Dan Thompson had 18 kills, two blocks, six digs, four assists from nine attempts and successfully returned serve on all 32 attempts he made.
Team Sunderland were in action twice over the weekend and experienced mixed fortunes.
On Saturday, they made the journey down to Essex Rebels for the return fixture of the one they played a week earlier and lost 3-2.
This match was equally close, but this time went the way of the Wearsiders as they gained rapid revenge with their own 3-2 success.
The visitors stormed into a 2-0 lead, edging a tight first set 28-26 and then following it up by claiming the second 25-20.
Essex hit back to take the third and fourth by the same score – 25-17 each time – to set up a decider which the Orange and Blues won 15-9.
Young England players Kelechi Bell and Ollie Took made 18 kills and five blocks and 10 kills and four blocks respectively.
For the hosts, Thomas Shatimehin successfully completed a mammoth 40 service returns from 41 and 15 kills, while William Ragland made 16 kills and 15 digs.
But Sunderland were unable to build on that win as they returned home for a match on Sunday, losing 3-1 to Stockport, who now have a 3-3 record to sit in mid-table.
They started well enough, winning the first set 25-21, but, perhaps suffering from the travelling the day before, could not keep those performances levels up and succumbed 25-12, 25-18, 25-18 in the next three sets.
At the top end of the table, IBB Polonia stretched their lead to four points in the absence of a game for Durham following their 3-0 success over the Malory Eagles.
They won 25-16, 27-25, 25-22 at Northolt High School, holding their nerve at the key moments to take their record to 6-0.
But it was not an entirely fruitless weekend for the Eagles as they had already successfully overcome Richmond Docklands in straight sets on Saturday.
All the sets were closely contested, but Malory ran out 25-21, 25-22, 25-21 winners to collect three valuable points.
Nathan Fullerton claimed 13 kills, two blocks and served two aces, while Cameron Carrington made 12 kills and three blocks as well as successfully returning serve from all 21 attempts.
Joao Alves hit 14 kills for Docklands and Richard Uhlir was successful in 23 of 66 set attempts, in addition to making two blocks.
To view all the weekend's NVL results in full, click here.
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