R E P O R T S
KS Osemka - IVA
Exciting, tense, awful, scrappy are all words which can describe Osemkas first match of the 2011/12 season. Osemkas next training session has to concentrate heavily on blocking and not touching the top band of the net at the same time.
Osemka had a squad of 10 players available, which is the biggest they’ve had for a while. The first set started with Osemka opening up a 10-3 lead, which should have taken them to a 1 set lead, but some sloppy play by Osemka and good defence by IVA, allowed IVA to steal the set to 22 points. IVA continued the same form in the second set to take a 2 – 0 lead. Osemka turned things around in the third set and took it to 22. Things were looking up a little and the lads were hungry and determined not to lose their first match of the season on home turf. The fourth set was a close exchange up to 16-16 but then IVA pulled away a little to lead 22-18. Things were looking bleak for Osemka and then IVA had 3 match points at 24-21. Osemka were heading for defeat but some good blocking and attacking allowed us to pull back to 24-24, saving 3 match points. IVA then had one more match point at 25-24 but Osemka held it together to take the next 3 points and the set to 25, forcing a tie-break. IVA were now looking a little tired and dejected, whereas Osemka, having been on the brink of defeat, were now determined to walk away with three points.
The start of the tie-break was pretty much a point for point exchange until the change of ends with IVA leading 8-7. A run of 5 points then took Osemka to a 12-7 lead and tensions and adrenaline were running very high. IVA managed to pull the scores back to 13-13. Osemka managed to keep the advantage and thought they had won at 16-15 when the second referee called up IVA for a rotation fault, but the first referee overruled and played a let. IVA then managed to save that match point but facing another match point against them at 17-16, a carried ball gave victory to Osemka.
One could argue if Osemka were not so intent on stroking the top band of the net so match, then they might have won the match a little easier. But as the saying goes, ‘a win is a win’, along with 3 valuable points.