Our game against Hvidovre was a bit of a grudge match, because the last match we played against them is one we feel we should have won. Unlike the previous meeting, from the beginning Saturday we showed that we were the better team and came away with a fairly easy 3-0 victory.
I played the entire game in this matchup, for the first time since the previous meeting with Hvidovre. It felt good to contribute from the beginning and be able put my mark on the game in the way our offense was run. We passed well from the first serve and I was able to use all my options in attack. Our middles won nearly every ball, and Hvidovre committed quite a few hitting and service errors at inopportune moments (for them) to give us a comfortable 25-19 victory.
The reason Hvidovre was as close as they were in the first set was because they were able to get a lot of "block-out" balls by tooling our block. We adjusted in the second set and opened up a three or four point lead with some solid blocking by the front line. However, Hvidovre was able to go on a few runs of points off their own serve by giving us some trouble in reception. The game see-sawed back and forth with each team getting a few points off their own serve and taking a lead. At one point we were trailing 14-11, but we put together a run of points to take the lead at 17-15. I then went back and served seven balls in a row, which led to an easy win for the second set, 25-16.
The third set started off with Tue and Niels being switched at outside, and Morten Smith making an appearance towards the end of the set as well. In the early going we had some reception troubles from the second set still plaguing us, but by the middle of the set we had a lead of about three or four points. We continued to side out on the first ball nearly every time and got a few points here and there off our own serve to open up a solid lead. The set didn't end up being very close, with a 25-19 victory in our favor.
The strange thing about this match was the amount of points that both teams earned off their own serve. It was a quick match because of this; rather than the teams siding out and getting points bit by bit, both sides would go on runs of two or three points each time they had serve. On our part, we conceded the runs nearly always because of trouble in reception, but we earned the points off our own serve from solid counter-attacking and great blocking, especially in the run we had in the second set. I can't remember the last time I served so many balls in a row in a match, and I think at least half those points came from blocks by Dennis, Goat and Kesse. That big run we went on seemed to take the wind out of Hvidovre's sails, and they were forced to make several substitutions to slow us down. It was good to see us use the momentum and energy we had to finish them off in the final set. We now sit solidly in fourth place, but we're still taking each game one at at time, and as a group I think we have a good focus heading into our final three matches of the regular season.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Game v Middelfart
Saturday was our final regular season match against Middelfart, and like I mentioned in my last post, I had a good feeling going into the match and didn't expect it to be like the previous times we had faced them. We've actually played them four times this season, losing the two matches that counted (in the elitedivision) and winning the two practice matches (in the pre-season and post Christmas). Say what you will about the fact they were practice matches, but having already beaten them in whatever setting gives you the belief that you can do it again.
The first set started out close, but it definitely felt like we had all the momentum in the match from the beginning. In the opening half of the set, Middelfart was flat and seemed a bit shell-shocked as we came out playing well and winning balls in transition. In the last five points of the set, Dennis and I came in as part of a double switch for Morten and Kesse, and after a couple errors on our part, we sided out and took the set 25-23.
The second set offered more of the same, with each team getting a few points off their own serve and then surrendering a few to the opponent after a sideout. The points we gave up were more often than not due to good plays by Middelfart, as we made few attacking and service errors. Our passing was solid throughout, and we were able to set the ball away from their bigger blockers, something we had trouble with last time. We ended up taking the second set in "extra time" by a score of 28-26.
The third set saw us get in a bit of trouble midway through, and Middelfart opened up a lead of three or four points, the largest they had held all day. Their opposite won a few balls in transition for them and we were never able to completely close the gap. I came in for Morten when we reached about 15, and we were able to get a few points off our own serve from Niels, but ended up dropping the set 23-25.
The fourth set saw Morten back setting again, and this time we pressured Middelfart early into making mistakes. The set was back and forth the entire way, but a few timely blocks by Joakim, Niels, and our middles on their opposite took him out of the game and gave us confidence and momentum to take control of the set and win it 25-23.
As you can tell by the scores of the games, each set was very close, and with the exception of the third, we were always in control in the last five points. I think this was in a large part due to our passing, which was nearly always stable, and gave us the ability to side out well. Our previous game against Middelfart we gave up big runs of points, but this time we limited that and took our own chances when they came to us. It was without a doubt a close, hard fought game on both sides, but when it came down to the critical moments in a set to make a play and change the game, we were up to the task more often than they were.
Our form of late has been pretty good, and it feels like we are really hitting our stride, much as we had earlier in the season before the break for Olympic Qualifiers. This is good news for us, because I think we are a team that rides momentum from match to match, and a two match winning streak for any team is always good news. With the win we are up to fourth in the table, with the set difference putting us just ahead of Arhus. Hopefully we can continue our run of good play this Friday at Arhus and over (yet another) break in game action.
The first set started out close, but it definitely felt like we had all the momentum in the match from the beginning. In the opening half of the set, Middelfart was flat and seemed a bit shell-shocked as we came out playing well and winning balls in transition. In the last five points of the set, Dennis and I came in as part of a double switch for Morten and Kesse, and after a couple errors on our part, we sided out and took the set 25-23.
The second set offered more of the same, with each team getting a few points off their own serve and then surrendering a few to the opponent after a sideout. The points we gave up were more often than not due to good plays by Middelfart, as we made few attacking and service errors. Our passing was solid throughout, and we were able to set the ball away from their bigger blockers, something we had trouble with last time. We ended up taking the second set in "extra time" by a score of 28-26.
The third set saw us get in a bit of trouble midway through, and Middelfart opened up a lead of three or four points, the largest they had held all day. Their opposite won a few balls in transition for them and we were never able to completely close the gap. I came in for Morten when we reached about 15, and we were able to get a few points off our own serve from Niels, but ended up dropping the set 23-25.
The fourth set saw Morten back setting again, and this time we pressured Middelfart early into making mistakes. The set was back and forth the entire way, but a few timely blocks by Joakim, Niels, and our middles on their opposite took him out of the game and gave us confidence and momentum to take control of the set and win it 25-23.
As you can tell by the scores of the games, each set was very close, and with the exception of the third, we were always in control in the last five points. I think this was in a large part due to our passing, which was nearly always stable, and gave us the ability to side out well. Our previous game against Middelfart we gave up big runs of points, but this time we limited that and took our own chances when they came to us. It was without a doubt a close, hard fought game on both sides, but when it came down to the critical moments in a set to make a play and change the game, we were up to the task more often than they were.
Our form of late has been pretty good, and it feels like we are really hitting our stride, much as we had earlier in the season before the break for Olympic Qualifiers. This is good news for us, because I think we are a team that rides momentum from match to match, and a two match winning streak for any team is always good news. With the win we are up to fourth in the table, with the set difference putting us just ahead of Arhus. Hopefully we can continue our run of good play this Friday at Arhus and over (yet another) break in game action.
Friday, February 1, 2008
Game v Arhus
Our game against Arhus Thursday was an important one for a few reasons. We'd lost three matches in a row due to some poor play, and Arhus held a 4 point lead in the table heading into the match. It was also the date that I had set to be ready to return to the court, so I was pretty excited the whole day leading up to the game.
The match started off a bit shaky, reminiscent of our last home game against ASV. We were able to settle down, however, and sided out well for the most part. We had a few runs of trouble in reception, but were able to counter that with some good serving of our own to erase any deficits. We ended up winning fairly comfortably, 25-21.
The second and third sets were a disaster for Arhus. They couldn't do much right, and we were able to get a lot of points off our own serve, especially from Niels, who had to be man of the match for us, with great serving, passing, and attacking. The final scores were 25-16 and 25-11 in the last two sets, numbers which really do tell the whole tale of the games. We definitely caught them on a bad night, and we know we will have to be ready for a different opponent when we visit them in a week's time.
Morten played well and ran a good offense, so there was no need for me to play, but I'm disappointed that I didn't get any time because I feel like I could have used it to shake off my six week break (pardon the pun) of not playing any competitive matches. As much as you try it is hard to simulate the intensity and energy of a match, when everyone is jumping a little bit higher and giving that extra ounce of effort. I feel ready though, and I'm finally used to setting with two fingers taped together, but it still feels a bit weird. I'm looking forward to the Middelfart game Saturday, which should be a good one. I think they overwhelmed us the first two times we played them, but by now we know what to expect and we're playing with good energy and focus, so it should be a good fight. Hopefully I'll have some good news to write about on Monday.
As for my Super Bowl predictions, I think the Patriots are going to take it. I'm rooting for the Giants though because I want Belichick to lose, but it wouldn't be so bad if the Pats won and we got to see history being made. My final score is Pats 34 - Giants 17, and Brady gets his third Super Bowl MVP.
The match started off a bit shaky, reminiscent of our last home game against ASV. We were able to settle down, however, and sided out well for the most part. We had a few runs of trouble in reception, but were able to counter that with some good serving of our own to erase any deficits. We ended up winning fairly comfortably, 25-21.
The second and third sets were a disaster for Arhus. They couldn't do much right, and we were able to get a lot of points off our own serve, especially from Niels, who had to be man of the match for us, with great serving, passing, and attacking. The final scores were 25-16 and 25-11 in the last two sets, numbers which really do tell the whole tale of the games. We definitely caught them on a bad night, and we know we will have to be ready for a different opponent when we visit them in a week's time.
Morten played well and ran a good offense, so there was no need for me to play, but I'm disappointed that I didn't get any time because I feel like I could have used it to shake off my six week break (pardon the pun) of not playing any competitive matches. As much as you try it is hard to simulate the intensity and energy of a match, when everyone is jumping a little bit higher and giving that extra ounce of effort. I feel ready though, and I'm finally used to setting with two fingers taped together, but it still feels a bit weird. I'm looking forward to the Middelfart game Saturday, which should be a good one. I think they overwhelmed us the first two times we played them, but by now we know what to expect and we're playing with good energy and focus, so it should be a good fight. Hopefully I'll have some good news to write about on Monday.
As for my Super Bowl predictions, I think the Patriots are going to take it. I'm rooting for the Giants though because I want Belichick to lose, but it wouldn't be so bad if the Pats won and we got to see history being made. My final score is Pats 34 - Giants 17, and Brady gets his third Super Bowl MVP.
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