Sport
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Friday, February 26, 2010 | www.leedsstudent.org | Leeds Student
Imperial rule over Leeds Women’s Volleyball
Leeds University 1sts 0 - 3 Imperial College London Josh Powling For periods in the match Uni could only watch on, helpless as Imperial displayed the sort of consistency and controlled aggression that the Gryphons themselves sorely lacked. An hour and a half into the contest it came as no surprise when they succumbed in straight sets 3-0. Uni have had a decent if not spectacular season in the league, with rivals Leeds Met running off with the division crown, winning all ten of their matches, without dropping a set all year. Thrashing Durham and Liverpool twice, they shared midtable below Carnegie with Lancaster and Manchester. The cup then, was a real opportunity. But it was clear that
Evident from the start was that Fransceca Bottanelli costituted Leeds’ main attacking threat half the team were not up for the encounter, going through the motions for most of the tie. Leeds started the first set confidently enough with Tania Morin, Andra Gutoaia and
Caroline Rendle at the net. The trio handled Imperial’s attacking threats without undue problems in the first It was evident right from the start that captain Fransceca Bottanelli constituted Leeds’ main attacking threat, spiking the ball at every possible occasion.
Imperial’s offence was aided by some poor blocking While the home side strung together a few well-worked points on occasion, some of their play was terrific to watch, more often than not a good passage of play was followed by an atrocious mistake. Far too often their build-up was not patient enough, while on occasion they were prone to panic and to passing the ball back to the opposition. Missed spikes started to creep into their game, and the effectiveness of Imperial’s own offence was aided by some poor blocking, a theme running through the entire match. Somehow Leeds stayed within touching distance for most of the first set before Imperial turned on the style, taking it 25-18. Meanwhile the second could hardly have started worse as they lost the first six points as a result of some chaotic defending. Maria Chiara Cavalieri was then introduced, setting the ball up for some excellent attacking moves over the next few points. A Uni recovery led to an 8-7 second set lead, thanks in part to
great defensive work by Noemi Capellino, but once again concentration and belief wavered sufficiently to allow Imperial to stamp their authority on the set. By this point Leeds had run out of ideas. The team looked confused on court as a real lack of coordination totally derailed them. After another ten minutes of agony, the visitors took a commanding two set lead, taking it 25-19. Bottanelli’s stern words at the break seemed to galvanise Uni, and they played with an attitude and tempo that that been distinctly lacking in the first two sets. Some great blocking and excellent spiking from the captain seemed to have given Uni some hope, but not for long as the home side threw a late third set lead away with some tired and sloppy play. Imperial wrapped up the set and the match with little fuss 2523, to play UCL in the next round. For Leeds, the defeat brings a relatively positive season to an unsatisfactory close.
Volleyball Players WANTED Interested in getting involved? Come along to training. Every Monday 8-10pm. For more details email Jerome Poppe at jerome.poppe@gmail. com FIGHT: Bottanelli tries to get Leeds back in the game
Photo: Sarah Greene
Gryphons Player of the Month: Danny Mills Versatile utility defender Danny Mills has been in great form throughout the season for the Men’s Hockey 1sts. Consistent performances in the BUCS Premier North league this season were epitomised a fortnight ago in his dominant display against Edinburgh in the cup competition, where he scored
and was generally allowed to dominate the park. Most noticeable has been his bullish demeanour in surging forward from defence, often taking on entire opposition midfields before laying off to his team mates. The confident ball player is expected to play a central role in linking defence with attack in
the coming weeks as the team try to progress in the BUCS cup. With his contribution, the team achieved 3rd place in the Premier North league, although sadly a loss against Bath in the BUCS cup ended their dreams of a trophy this season.