Despite suffering a defeat, Volleyball 1s could still draw loads of positives with them after a demanding away encounter against Newcastle.
The team got off to a shaky start even before the game, as transportation issues caused them to arrive late up north, not affording them the time to warm up properly.
This caused a snowballing chain of events, where the team not being in the best condition resulted in Newcastle scoring three points in a row and the mood within the team increasingly deteriorating.
Additionally, several Uni of players were either not able to travel or were sick, meaning Newcastle had more chances to swap out tired players.
Player Chloe Chioy said: “Volleyball being a team sport, it is up to each person to keep up the morale.
“The initial loss made the mood of our entire team extremely sombre.
“We believe that people play better when they feel better, and because everyone was feeling defeated, we kept losing points off simple mistakes.”
Even though the team had to call for time out twice in the game in order to boost morale and discuss tactics, it was not enough to motivate the group to recover from the first set loss.
Chloe said: “The other team just had more synergy. Most of them had come from the same high school and so knew exactly how to work around each person’s strength and play style.
“We were a fairly new team so still have much to learn.
“Their team did dominate ours, but we played very well considering the circumstances.”
The two remaining sets were fairly even but Newcastle just had the edge on the Uni of side.
Despite the loss, Chloe still praised the other team’s performance.
“They moved like clockwork and would always yell encouragement to their teammates. Their receives, spikes, sets, and serves were all impeccable.
“They definitely were strong opponents because even when they lost a point, they wouldn’t be phased and would operate just as well as if they were winning.”
Reflecting on the importance of the game, Chloe said it is vital to start the semester on winning ways.
“This game was important not because of the location or the opposition, but because of how early on in the semester we are. The more we win games and play well, the more confidence we have going into future games.”
Women in Sports: Plenty of positives to take from Newcastle volleyball defeat
