The first time we played Aalborg, in Aalborg, we played one of our best matches so far this year. We were on top the whole time and never really gave them a chance to get anything going on their side of the net.
This time was different. We definitely didn't play as well as we did the first time. Aalborg was also back in their best lineup with a full complement of opposites and outside hitters so they were more comfortable.
In the end, it was the classic battle between serve/serve receive that decided the match. Aalborg missed way too many serves and we passed well enough when they didn't make a mistake to win. After the first set there was little doubt about who would win, but this was clearly not a pretty match to watch.
We have to work more on scoring points in the defensive and block phases of the game. We rely too heavily on our serve to score points and sooner or later we're going to have to scratch out some points by blocking, digging or transitioning, otherwise we're going to get into trouble.
Now, on to something totally different.
Just for the hell of it, and maybe because I had six hours of total travel time to Aalborg this week, I thought it would be fun to extend the question of the FIVB enforcing a limit on the amount of foreigners and explore what the Danish Elite could look like if all the national team guys were forced to come home.
(For the purposes of this fantasy I'm assuming that, all of a sudden, there would be no place anywhere for any of the Danish national team players outside of the country. Of course, this wouldn't happen, but it's necessary for my purposes.)
First, let's list the guys out there - Outside Hitters: Lundtang, Knudsen, Ditlevsen. Opposite: Lyck. Centers: No one (ugh!) (Maybe Korsbak counts. But he wouldn't be affected by the rule change) Setter: Axel.
Lundtang is already practicing with Gentofte so I guess it's safe to say that he would end up there. This would certainly make a huge difference for Gentofte, giving them a strong veteran leader and really, really stable passer/attacker with a whole bunch of experience. I think Jesper could make a huge impact on this team if he ended up there.
Knudsen is an interesting question. He's from Kolding right? So, you could maybe make a case for a team like Middelfart or possibly Aarhus since they are closest. But, it's hard to imagine Kristian playing everyday in a place like Middelfart without the bright lights of the big city close by. He'd probably end up in Gentofte as well but just for arguments sake, let's say he would decide to go the Jylland route and play in Aarhus. Boom, instant contender. No one in the Danish Elite can match up with him. He plays at a completely different level than pretty much any one else. And you'd have a quality setter like Soren Hansen giving him the ball about 400 times per match. Add a couple of foreigners and Aarhus looks really good.
I don't see any reason why Peter and Mads don't come home to Fyn for, at least, one or two years. Maybe they would be attracted to the bigger stage of Copenhagen but as long as Marienlyst can offer a nice environment for the players I think they would enjoy the idea of coming back. That would give Marienlyst a pretty strong team, four national team starters and at least one back up. A couple of foreigners here to plug in where there are needs and the team would look really good. Hopefully, they would still want me around and not make a move to get a different setter...
...Which brings us to Axel. Gentofte has a young setter in Sebastian that is doing a good job, grew up in the club, has a bright future and that they are (rightfully) proud of. I don't see him being welcomed there. Aarhus has Soren Hansen, although I'm sure they would take Axel anyways, let's assume he wants to be the number one guy. Like I said before, I hope I would still have a home in Marienlyst, so who's left? Did you guess it? Middelfart baby! This is the obvious choice. Kind of like the Argentinian Martin Stenderup, they could pick him up and not miss a beat. A couple more foreigners and another one for practice purposes and this could be an okay team. I'd like to see it at least.
Obviously, this is an unscientific look at what could happen. What would probably happen is that they would all go to the same club, somewhere in Copenhagen, Holte maybe and just form a national team club team. I think it's interesting to think about anyways. It's also kind of nice to recognize that by adding five to six quality Danish players the entire league would be both more competitive and more exciting. A little more development and things look a lot better for the future...
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Foreign Rules?
Now that it looks like the FIVB is set on cutting down the number of non-native players in leagues all over the world, I thought it would be interesting to throw some totally un-researched, non-expert observations and predictions out there.
First, I can’t believe the FIVB is in favor of a rule that limits the amount of foreigners to three per team and two on the court at the same time. Make no mistake, unless the price for a transfer goes up, this will affect the FIVB’s bottom line. They make a small amount of money on every foreign player that plays professionally. For them to advocate a rule that cuts down on their own profits (especially considering the FIVB’s reputation) is unheard of.
Second, I’m not sure that this rule change will do what they expect it to. At first glance, I thought it was a pretty good idea. No question, there are a lot of teams in Europe that wouldn’t be where they are today without heavily relying on foreign talent. But, does limiting the amount of foreigners translate into a strengthening of the home countries’ national programs? I’m not so sure. And these are the reasons why:
If the talent is not there, it’s just not there. Some countries are just not ever going to be world powers in volleyball. Japan is probably the best example of this. By all accounts, they have the best training methods, they have a huge fan base, a surplus of players and their league restricts each team to only one foreign born player. How good is their national team? Good. But. Not. Great. Even though their national team already has this rule in place and they have every advantage possible, they will never be the favorites to win the world championships. Now, I’ll happily admit that volleyball is thriving in Japan and if the goal of this FIVB rule change was to make volleyball thrive all over the world then perhaps I would agree that the change is a good idea. That is not, however, the stated purpose of the rule. It is to strengthen the national teams, and homegrown talent, in the respective countries around the world by getting more playing time for players who are born in the country they are playing in.
There is a big difference between a competitive league on a high level and a competitive league where all the participants are terrible. This is where the argument hits home. What would the Danish elite division look like right now without foreign support? Middelfart – gone. Marienlyst – slightly weaker. Gentofte – same. Aarhus volley – gone. ASV Aarhus – same. Hvidovre – same. Aalborg – same. So, the elite would be five teams or seven teams with two more teams that are playing in the first division right now. The league would be competitive, but would it be good?
Some people might ask what the league would look like if no foreigners had ever come to Denmark. And that is a fair question that would probably take some time to answer. But, I would argue that the league would not be better off in terms of the level of volleyball.
The problem is that this argument can be extended to a lot of countries. Sweden would be in trouble. Germany would be in trouble. Belgium would be in trouble. Etc…
Overall, changing the rule for foreigners will mean a huge shift in the strength of a lot of leagues. Yes, there will be a lot of space for homegrown talent to step in and prove what they can do. This is great in places like Italy, France or Russia where there is a huge pool of talent to pull from. Other countries will not be so lucky. So, some leagues will all of a sudden be bad in relation to what they have previously been. Maybe, and it’s a big maybe, they will build themselves back up in the space of a five or ten years as new talent develops. But, is the risk worth it? Some leagues might never be good without foreign players.
It seems to me that the free market regulates the foreign player consumption around the world, why put artificial restrictions on that? If a player is good enough, trains hard enough and wants it enough, they will get their chance eventually whether they are foreign or native. More than anything, what I think is important is that volleyball overall is being played on the highest level possible. More top notch competition creates more top notch players and that is what volleyball needs. More top notch players means a bigger talent pool to draw from for national teams. If a volleyball player thinks that they are being cheated out of playing time by a foreigner then they should play harder (or better) and find a way to get on the court.
First, I can’t believe the FIVB is in favor of a rule that limits the amount of foreigners to three per team and two on the court at the same time. Make no mistake, unless the price for a transfer goes up, this will affect the FIVB’s bottom line. They make a small amount of money on every foreign player that plays professionally. For them to advocate a rule that cuts down on their own profits (especially considering the FIVB’s reputation) is unheard of.
Second, I’m not sure that this rule change will do what they expect it to. At first glance, I thought it was a pretty good idea. No question, there are a lot of teams in Europe that wouldn’t be where they are today without heavily relying on foreign talent. But, does limiting the amount of foreigners translate into a strengthening of the home countries’ national programs? I’m not so sure. And these are the reasons why:
If the talent is not there, it’s just not there. Some countries are just not ever going to be world powers in volleyball. Japan is probably the best example of this. By all accounts, they have the best training methods, they have a huge fan base, a surplus of players and their league restricts each team to only one foreign born player. How good is their national team? Good. But. Not. Great. Even though their national team already has this rule in place and they have every advantage possible, they will never be the favorites to win the world championships. Now, I’ll happily admit that volleyball is thriving in Japan and if the goal of this FIVB rule change was to make volleyball thrive all over the world then perhaps I would agree that the change is a good idea. That is not, however, the stated purpose of the rule. It is to strengthen the national teams, and homegrown talent, in the respective countries around the world by getting more playing time for players who are born in the country they are playing in.
There is a big difference between a competitive league on a high level and a competitive league where all the participants are terrible. This is where the argument hits home. What would the Danish elite division look like right now without foreign support? Middelfart – gone. Marienlyst – slightly weaker. Gentofte – same. Aarhus volley – gone. ASV Aarhus – same. Hvidovre – same. Aalborg – same. So, the elite would be five teams or seven teams with two more teams that are playing in the first division right now. The league would be competitive, but would it be good?
Some people might ask what the league would look like if no foreigners had ever come to Denmark. And that is a fair question that would probably take some time to answer. But, I would argue that the league would not be better off in terms of the level of volleyball.
The problem is that this argument can be extended to a lot of countries. Sweden would be in trouble. Germany would be in trouble. Belgium would be in trouble. Etc…
Overall, changing the rule for foreigners will mean a huge shift in the strength of a lot of leagues. Yes, there will be a lot of space for homegrown talent to step in and prove what they can do. This is great in places like Italy, France or Russia where there is a huge pool of talent to pull from. Other countries will not be so lucky. So, some leagues will all of a sudden be bad in relation to what they have previously been. Maybe, and it’s a big maybe, they will build themselves back up in the space of a five or ten years as new talent develops. But, is the risk worth it? Some leagues might never be good without foreign players.
It seems to me that the free market regulates the foreign player consumption around the world, why put artificial restrictions on that? If a player is good enough, trains hard enough and wants it enough, they will get their chance eventually whether they are foreign or native. More than anything, what I think is important is that volleyball overall is being played on the highest level possible. More top notch competition creates more top notch players and that is what volleyball needs. More top notch players means a bigger talent pool to draw from for national teams. If a volleyball player thinks that they are being cheated out of playing time by a foreigner then they should play harder (or better) and find a way to get on the court.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Gentofte
For whatever reason, we didn't play very well on Saturday. Whether it was because a couple of our guys were affected by playing against their old club as has been posited other places, or whether Gentofte had a good game plan and played well, or whether our numerous injuries are starting to catch up with us or whatever else doesn't really matter. We played one really good set and ended up doing enough to win. Really though, the match could have easily been 3-1 to Gentofte and it could just have easily been 3-0 to us, so there wasn't a big difference between the two teams.
One of the biggest factors was our inability to win any points in our own serve. I think it was a combination of not serving well enough and Gentofte passing/siding out really well. Clearly though, we didn't block or play defense at an acceptable level. Hopefully we'll be able to do a better job of that in the future.
After experiencing both teams, it's hard to imagine Gentofte losing to Aalborg like they did last weekend, but I guess surprise is the spice of life...
We're on pace for an absurd three matches played in a span of like eight weeks. Aalborg next weekend and then another huge pause for the national team. Any rhythm as far as playing is concerned is basically gone at this point.
One of the biggest factors was our inability to win any points in our own serve. I think it was a combination of not serving well enough and Gentofte passing/siding out really well. Clearly though, we didn't block or play defense at an acceptable level. Hopefully we'll be able to do a better job of that in the future.
After experiencing both teams, it's hard to imagine Gentofte losing to Aalborg like they did last weekend, but I guess surprise is the spice of life...
We're on pace for an absurd three matches played in a span of like eight weeks. Aalborg next weekend and then another huge pause for the national team. Any rhythm as far as playing is concerned is basically gone at this point.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Hvidovre and Nordic Championships
The last week of training has been terrible. At any given time, we've been without at least three or four of our players due to injury and sickness. Besides that, we just haven't been that focused and the practice hasn't been very high quality. When you have a bad week of practice, it doesn't leave you with a great feeling going into the next match.
That said, we came out from the beginning of the first set against Hvidovre and played well. We were stable and passed the ball well enough to be able to do what we wanted to do on offense.
The second set was interesting in that we kind of fell apart in the middle of it and couldn't really get back on track. I think we missed every serve except one after we got up to around 15 points so that didn't really help us. Add to that a bunch of balls hit out of bounds and players playing out of position and you have a recipe for losing games.
The third and fourth sets were pretty uneventful. Hvidovre seemed determined to let Shaun hit as much as possible against a one or no man block so we just kept giving him the ball.
In the end, we got to try a whole bunch of different stuff and move players around a lot to see what they could do in somewhat awkward positions. It wasn't a complete success but it wasn't really a failure either as we came home with the win.
Otherwise, I've been trying to keep updated on the Nordic Championships for volleyball which are going to take place this weekend in Norway and Sweden. Today there is a little information out there at Falkenberg's website, Habo's website and Førde's website.
The idea is that two teams from Denmark, two teams from Sweden, two teams from Norway and one team from Iceland will be split up into two three-team pools with the winners of those pools moving on to play in a final four with two teams from Finland. The two teams from Denmark were supposed to be Middelfart and Aarhus.
I think it is a great idea. What I don't think is a great idea is that Aarhus pulled themselves out of the tournament. I can't even explain how angry this makes me. First of all, that they accepted, and second that they then pulled out. Third, I don't really know what the story is, but I would love to hear why we (Marienlyst) couldn't take their place. I honestly don't know if we had the opportunity and said no or if the DVBF decided not to ask us or what, but in any case, it is a huge disappointment to me personally.
I don't know if anyone even cares about a Nordic Championships, maybe the fans aren't interested, I know I haven't really heard anyone talking about it, but if that's the case, I think it is a shame. A tournament like this is a great opportunity to play some high level volleyball against good competition. Besides the teams from Sweden, Norway and Iceland, the teams from Finland will unquestionably be very, very good. I'm personally pretty upset about the whole thing because I think that, especially considering that we weren't allowed to play European Cup volleyball, this was a great chance to try something new and different and exciting. I don't know why Aarhus decided not to go and I don't know why we weren't offered the chance to take their place, but I would sure like to...
Now, the only Danish representative will be Middelfart, so good luck to you guys I'll be interested to hear how it all goes.
That said, we came out from the beginning of the first set against Hvidovre and played well. We were stable and passed the ball well enough to be able to do what we wanted to do on offense.
The second set was interesting in that we kind of fell apart in the middle of it and couldn't really get back on track. I think we missed every serve except one after we got up to around 15 points so that didn't really help us. Add to that a bunch of balls hit out of bounds and players playing out of position and you have a recipe for losing games.
The third and fourth sets were pretty uneventful. Hvidovre seemed determined to let Shaun hit as much as possible against a one or no man block so we just kept giving him the ball.
In the end, we got to try a whole bunch of different stuff and move players around a lot to see what they could do in somewhat awkward positions. It wasn't a complete success but it wasn't really a failure either as we came home with the win.
Otherwise, I've been trying to keep updated on the Nordic Championships for volleyball which are going to take place this weekend in Norway and Sweden. Today there is a little information out there at Falkenberg's website, Habo's website and Førde's website.
The idea is that two teams from Denmark, two teams from Sweden, two teams from Norway and one team from Iceland will be split up into two three-team pools with the winners of those pools moving on to play in a final four with two teams from Finland. The two teams from Denmark were supposed to be Middelfart and Aarhus.
I think it is a great idea. What I don't think is a great idea is that Aarhus pulled themselves out of the tournament. I can't even explain how angry this makes me. First of all, that they accepted, and second that they then pulled out. Third, I don't really know what the story is, but I would love to hear why we (Marienlyst) couldn't take their place. I honestly don't know if we had the opportunity and said no or if the DVBF decided not to ask us or what, but in any case, it is a huge disappointment to me personally.
I don't know if anyone even cares about a Nordic Championships, maybe the fans aren't interested, I know I haven't really heard anyone talking about it, but if that's the case, I think it is a shame. A tournament like this is a great opportunity to play some high level volleyball against good competition. Besides the teams from Sweden, Norway and Iceland, the teams from Finland will unquestionably be very, very good. I'm personally pretty upset about the whole thing because I think that, especially considering that we weren't allowed to play European Cup volleyball, this was a great chance to try something new and different and exciting. I don't know why Aarhus decided not to go and I don't know why we weren't offered the chance to take their place, but I would sure like to...
Now, the only Danish representative will be Middelfart, so good luck to you guys I'll be interested to hear how it all goes.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Aalborg
We didn't really know what to expect when we walked into the gym in Aalborg on Saturday. We haven't seen very much of them yet this year and, beyond that, their results have been hard to decipher. Fortunately for us, we broke out to an early lead and never looked back.
Or serving and transition play made the biggest difference in the match. They gave us far too many free and semi free balls that turned into easy points for us. For a short portion of the second set, they passed better and we served worse, and it was like playing against a totally different team. If they iron out their passing issues then they will be a much harder team to play against. Their middles are still very effective when they can get the ball to them.
On our side, we were able to play free and aggressive for most of the match. When we play that way, we are hard to stop because we have so many options. It's also a huge benefit for us that when we play good defense we can just set the ball high to the outside on either side and
win a high percentage of those balls as well.
Congratulations to Michael and Matthias on the incredible amount of blood contained inside their respective heads. I'm not sure how many towels it took to mop up after their collision during the second set but it was certainly more than three. I didn't see Fyens yesterday but I do hope that the headline was "Bloodbath in Aalborg".
Shaun gets this week's award for biggest violation during a rally that the referee didn't see by slapping the net with both hands on the way up to block and then, for good measure, touching the attack on its way out of bounds. Truly, an impressive piece of rule-breaking. Although, the award would have gone to Martin if he could have blocked that one ball that he tried to block while he was in the backrow.
This was just the start of our monumental streak of away games. Hvidovre next week...
Or serving and transition play made the biggest difference in the match. They gave us far too many free and semi free balls that turned into easy points for us. For a short portion of the second set, they passed better and we served worse, and it was like playing against a totally different team. If they iron out their passing issues then they will be a much harder team to play against. Their middles are still very effective when they can get the ball to them.
On our side, we were able to play free and aggressive for most of the match. When we play that way, we are hard to stop because we have so many options. It's also a huge benefit for us that when we play good defense we can just set the ball high to the outside on either side and
win a high percentage of those balls as well.
Congratulations to Michael and Matthias on the incredible amount of blood contained inside their respective heads. I'm not sure how many towels it took to mop up after their collision during the second set but it was certainly more than three. I didn't see Fyens yesterday but I do hope that the headline was "Bloodbath in Aalborg".
Shaun gets this week's award for biggest violation during a rally that the referee didn't see by slapping the net with both hands on the way up to block and then, for good measure, touching the attack on its way out of bounds. Truly, an impressive piece of rule-breaking. Although, the award would have gone to Martin if he could have blocked that one ball that he tried to block while he was in the backrow.
This was just the start of our monumental streak of away games. Hvidovre next week...
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Aarhus
Kind of a weird match on Saturday. Aarhus had requested a change to the normal start time of our matches from 15:15 to 13:00 so that they could get back to Aarhus and work during the football game that night. I don't know why, but moving the match up two hours somehow made a huge difference. 1 o'clock felt like 8am.
Anyways, that was the most interesting thing about the match. Aarhus is clearly not a complete team yet so I am going to reserve any judgment for when they figure out their full roster. When your libero is starting as a middle you usually don't have much chance to win.
The match wass never really close. I think in the third set we were even until like 14-14 or something like that but that was as tight as it got. We served better than we have all year and it created lots of problems for the Aarhus passers. Our sideout was also pretty efficient. All in all, not the most exciting game for the fans, but a good performance by us.
Otherwise, I've been cruising the blogs and have been delighted to see a little bit of controversy out there. I'm not really sure that I have an opinion on who is right or wrong, but I definitely don't have a problem with people voicing their opinions. I don't think anyone can be upset about someone writing their honest thoughts, or for that matter, reacting to those thoughts. It's not like anyone is out there threatening someone else physically. A little bit of colorful "discussion" has never hurt anyone (Especially when it is well done and entertaining).
Furthermore, not everyone has to like everyone else. Sometimes, better competition is born out of a few well-placed remarks...
Anyways, that was the most interesting thing about the match. Aarhus is clearly not a complete team yet so I am going to reserve any judgment for when they figure out their full roster. When your libero is starting as a middle you usually don't have much chance to win.
The match wass never really close. I think in the third set we were even until like 14-14 or something like that but that was as tight as it got. We served better than we have all year and it created lots of problems for the Aarhus passers. Our sideout was also pretty efficient. All in all, not the most exciting game for the fans, but a good performance by us.
Otherwise, I've been cruising the blogs and have been delighted to see a little bit of controversy out there. I'm not really sure that I have an opinion on who is right or wrong, but I definitely don't have a problem with people voicing their opinions. I don't think anyone can be upset about someone writing their honest thoughts, or for that matter, reacting to those thoughts. It's not like anyone is out there threatening someone else physically. A little bit of colorful "discussion" has never hurt anyone (Especially when it is well done and entertaining).
Furthermore, not everyone has to like everyone else. Sometimes, better competition is born out of a few well-placed remarks...
Friday, October 12, 2007
Weekend 13/10
Alright! NordicBet alive and flowing once again... Let's get right to the picks:
Marienlyst (-2.50) vs. Aarhus Volley: This one is right on the border of being dangerous. Generally, you've got to stay away from teams giving 2.5 sets right from the beginning. Winning 3-0 is never a sure thing. You also never know what Aarhus is going to come with. There are rumors of a new Belorussian playing center so who knows what kind of starting lineup they are going to throw out there. That being said, I'm taking us because, well, it's my team and I feel good about us. Odds 1.45 aren't the worst I've ever seen.
Gentofte (-1.50) vs. ASV Aarhus: Even though the odds have dropped little bit already, getting 1.55 that Gentofte won't lose more than one set is definitely worth throwing some money at. ASV is better than most people think, but they've got to play in Gentofte and I just don't see it happening for them in this one. We still don't know that much about Gentofte, except that they aren't better than a good team from Croatia and that they're not going to drop out of the elite this year. This match won't really give us more answers, but it should be another win for them.
Aalborg HIK (-2.50) vs. Hvidovre: Huh. If you believe Hvidovre, then you have to bet them in this match. If they are going to be competitive this year then they have to beat teams like HIK who are middle of the pack right now. In any case, they have to be able to win a set or two even if they are playing in Aalborg. I wouldn't touch this game with a ten foot pole, but if I have to make a choice then it would be to take the handicap and the higher odds with Hvidovre. These matches are dangerous though, home teams in this situation often play really well and end up winning decisively.
Finally, a full slate of games this weekend (even if we're missing what should be a fourth match). Exciting to see how everyone reacts to the real first weekend of the season...
Marienlyst (-2.50) vs. Aarhus Volley: This one is right on the border of being dangerous. Generally, you've got to stay away from teams giving 2.5 sets right from the beginning. Winning 3-0 is never a sure thing. You also never know what Aarhus is going to come with. There are rumors of a new Belorussian playing center so who knows what kind of starting lineup they are going to throw out there. That being said, I'm taking us because, well, it's my team and I feel good about us. Odds 1.45 aren't the worst I've ever seen.
Gentofte (-1.50) vs. ASV Aarhus: Even though the odds have dropped little bit already, getting 1.55 that Gentofte won't lose more than one set is definitely worth throwing some money at. ASV is better than most people think, but they've got to play in Gentofte and I just don't see it happening for them in this one. We still don't know that much about Gentofte, except that they aren't better than a good team from Croatia and that they're not going to drop out of the elite this year. This match won't really give us more answers, but it should be another win for them.
Aalborg HIK (-2.50) vs. Hvidovre: Huh. If you believe Hvidovre, then you have to bet them in this match. If they are going to be competitive this year then they have to beat teams like HIK who are middle of the pack right now. In any case, they have to be able to win a set or two even if they are playing in Aalborg. I wouldn't touch this game with a ten foot pole, but if I have to make a choice then it would be to take the handicap and the higher odds with Hvidovre. These matches are dangerous though, home teams in this situation often play really well and end up winning decisively.
Finally, a full slate of games this weekend (even if we're missing what should be a fourth match). Exciting to see how everyone reacts to the real first weekend of the season...
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Middelfart
Early, early, early season match that meant nearly nothing in the long run. Of course, we're glad to win, and it means something in the standings, but as far as finding out where we stand in relation to the rest of the teams in the league, this match didn't really tell us anything.
Clearly Middelfart is going to be better next time. We're also going to be better.
The only really interesting thing that happened in the match was the sudden turn around in the first set when Middelfart scored five straight points to go from 19-24 to 24-24. I don't have a whole lot of answers as to why it happened. Their serves weren't uncontrollable, the sets were fine, the hits were okay but somehow we just couldn't put a ball away. It's actually a problem that we've been dealing with. I don't know why, maybe because we're too worried about making mistakes, but we seem to lose the ability to swing freely at the ball at times. We get into a kind of safe mode and give the other team the opportunity to play defense. It's an area we'll have to get better in.
Otherwise, we played well enough to win the match in three sets. Middelfart never really threatened us after the first set. We won the next two with at least a four or five point margin. We didn't do anything spectacular, but we were solid when it mattered. They put a little bit of pressure on us with some good serving, but Shaun put away a lot of trouble balls and made it easy for us to sideout even when the passing wasn't perfect. Daniel also did a good job of hitting the ball in transition and forcing them to respect the middle at all times.
All in all, a fairly uneventful match. We'll be back in Middelfart later in the year and I expect it to be a whole different game.
Clearly Middelfart is going to be better next time. We're also going to be better.
The only really interesting thing that happened in the match was the sudden turn around in the first set when Middelfart scored five straight points to go from 19-24 to 24-24. I don't have a whole lot of answers as to why it happened. Their serves weren't uncontrollable, the sets were fine, the hits were okay but somehow we just couldn't put a ball away. It's actually a problem that we've been dealing with. I don't know why, maybe because we're too worried about making mistakes, but we seem to lose the ability to swing freely at the ball at times. We get into a kind of safe mode and give the other team the opportunity to play defense. It's an area we'll have to get better in.
Otherwise, we played well enough to win the match in three sets. Middelfart never really threatened us after the first set. We won the next two with at least a four or five point margin. We didn't do anything spectacular, but we were solid when it mattered. They put a little bit of pressure on us with some good serving, but Shaun put away a lot of trouble balls and made it easy for us to sideout even when the passing wasn't perfect. Daniel also did a good job of hitting the ball in transition and forcing them to respect the middle at all times.
All in all, a fairly uneventful match. We'll be back in Middelfart later in the year and I expect it to be a whole different game.
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