NVL Women Sussex Doplins and New Forest (H) Match Report 2010-11

Report by Hannah Robinson

Tendring 1 - 3 Sussex Dolphins

Tendring 3 - 0 New Forest

After our first triumph last weekend, the Tendring Ladies were ready for more as they prepared for their triangular fixture against Sussex Dolphins and New Forest, who they had beaten 3-2 the previous week. They knew that New Forest would be coming to them with determination to win so they needed to be on top form to remain victorious.

With a slightly different line up this week, Tendring began their first match against Sussex. They introduced Vicky Southgate this week as libero to balance out their defence and serve receive. She held her position well with some solid and confident passing allowing Emily Mansfield and Hannah Robinson to settle into the setting role and distribute the ball evenly. The Sussex team were unpredictable with their hitting however which foxed the Tendring girls’ defence and allowed them to find gaps on court. Tendring lost the first set 25-15 and moved into the second with determination to defend. Some intelligent play by Kat Harris front court allowed them to gain back some momentum and with continued dominating back court by Kerry Skinner, Tendring were able to produce a more powerful attack. Tendring won the second set 25 –22 and moved into the third on an even keel. After a couple of changes in their line up, Liz White came on through the middle and offered some height at the net. As the passing became more and more consistent, the setters were able to mix up the attack allowing Liz and Kari Chase-Cock to build up an attack. The real power of the Tendring side however came through the outside position. Linda Ziverte towered over the Sussex block giving them no hope of returning her attack. Despite the superior attacking power that Tendring had over the Sussex team, the girls were unable to match these efforts in their defence and were caught out too many times. They lost the first match 3-1, but after a tight finish and areas that they had to work on, we were still confident about beating New Forest in our rematch on home soil.


A noisy and distracting New Forest team faced Tendring in the second and last match of the day. With the aid of some Tendring supporters, the girls were able to reclaim the sports hall however, and they were then able to focus on responding to them on the volleyball court. A change in tactics in this second match left Tendring with a one setter system, freeing up Emily Mansfield to play as an outside attacker. Tendring started the match on a high; passing was accurate from the start allowing them to attack from every angle.

The Tendring girls had watched the New Forest team in the previous match against Sussex, and were more than ready to take advantage of any weak points they encountered. Some intelligent serving from Emily Mansfield picked out the weaker passers on the other team causing them all kinds of trouble. Vicky Southgate continued to dominate the Tendring passing unit making the New Forest serve ineffective and allowing Tendring to use Linda Ziverte through the outside. The New Forest team were unable to return Linda’s attacks and Kat Harris did well to use the opposition’s block to Tendring’s advantage. By slowing down the game and playing at their own pace, Tendring were unstoppable in their attack.

With constant communication and awareness from all players on court, the girls were able to correct any defensive issues seen in the first match and take control of the game. Tendring won the first two sets and were moving into the third with confidence. This was not a time for Tendring to get complacent however, and it was essential that the team remain focused.

As they moved into the third set, Mark Harris was clear that Tendring should use every outlet when attacking. With some skilled setting from Hannah Robinson, this was easily achievable, and some well placed hitting from Liz White and Kari Chase-Cock through the middle split the opposition’s block and kept New Forest on their toes. The New Forest team at this point began to lose their confidence. Tendring kept them quiet through some controlled and exemplary volleyball and won the third set taking the game 3-0. It was clear that Tendring were the superior side and that they have progressed massively as a team throughout the season so far. Well done Tendring!