Cambridge blocked out by Blues in five set thriller
Oxford block athletically once again
Volleyball Blues
Oxford..........................3
Cambridge.....................2
The tribal percussion music which accompanied the warm up of the BUSA league volleyball match on Wednesday fuelled the teams with a savage energy that radiated through Oxford’s exuberant performance. The immense dives and leaps of the tall, elegant players resembled the deft movements of antelope and impala. With the music, bright orange training shirts and team chants, the match resembled a scene from a staged exotic setting.
There is already an international flavour to the Oxford Blues team though. The only British member of the team is the captain, Jack Turner, with the rest of the side coming from Canada, the USA, Poland, Denmark and Russia. The Blues fought back heroically from 2-0 down to become kings of the jungle on this occasion, and hopefully they will be able to continue this form into the Varsity match, where they will defend the title that they won 3-0 in February.
A brief glance at Cambridge’s volleyball club website revealed that they claim to be ‘currently the University’s most successful sports club’ and so this result represents a great achievement for the Oxford team. Oxford’s play in the first set was scarred by a lack of coordination and tentative play as points were wasted with sloppy service and hitting errors. Cambridge won the opening set 26-24 and then dominated the second set, winning 25-18.
It looked as though the visitors were going to walk away with the match and the Blues switched in Derek Nehrebecki, a self-confessed ‘serve specialist’, in a desperate attempt to gain some quick points. Cambridge consequently lost two of their break points in the second set as they fumbled under pressure, but Oxford looked unprepared to capitalise on this weakness.
However, the trailing Blues maintained their composure and, despite the absence of their coach, managed to invigorate and motivate each other to take the match into five sets. Finally, in the third set Oxford seemed to find their rhythm and pick up some confidence.
Several long and thrilling rallies were won by Oxford and the momentum that this gave them took the score to 25-12; a brilliant winning margin that reflected Oxford’s true attacking ability rather than just the lucky points they had been winning from careless Cambridge errors. The fourth set decided the direction of the match and the spectators threw themselves into a rousing chorus that spurred Oxford on to a vital 25-22 win.
This period was highly animated and one of the Oxford players was given a yellow card for offending the referee. The tension rose as Cambridge battled back, but their second chance to win the match slipped away, and after time-out, Oxford swiftly won their first point to take the set. Oxford approached the decisive fifth in business-like fashion, eager to get the job done, and eventually sealed their victory at 15-7.
The man of the match had to be Dennis Zuev, the libero, whose incredible somersaults and lunges to the floor are exhilarating to watch. Zuev awaited the ball menacingly, squatting like a defensive and imperious chimpanzee, and his passes were translated effectively into aggressive spikes. The longlegged Anders Karup delivered some of these vital spikes and was also incredibly effective blocking Cambridge at the net.
The Tabs were held back by a large number of new players, and although they demonstrated some excellent blocking, they made several errors and their game became ragged when Oxford started to regain points and assert themselves. There will be tougher opposition to encounter in the remainder of the BUSA season, with Oxford hoping to improve on the fourth place that they gained at the end of last season.
The winners of the BUSA championship earn a place in the European Volleyball Championships and so competition for that prized spot is immense, but after this dramatic performance the Blues should be quietly optimistic.
10th Nov 2005