VoV, 04-05-2024. 5:48 PM. This afternoon the second and possibly decisive match in the final series between national champions VC Sneek and VV Utrecht was played in the Galgenwaard. Sneek led 1-0 after the 3-0 home win (19, 21, 19) and could claim the Dutch title with a win, regardless of how many sets they would need. VV Utrecht had to win to force a third match, which would again be played in Sneek.
‘All or nothing’ did not quite apply to the home team. Because after sixth place in the regular season, second place in the B-Pool and the elimination of Sudosa-Desto and Apollo 8 in the quarter and semi-finals, that ‘nothing’ is more than nothing. But playing a final is wanting to win a final, it’s that simple. Even if the first playmaker is not present due to an injury, the target remains the same.
Home club VVU mobilized via including a partial view shown here below call on Facebook as many fans as possible: “FINALE NUMERO DOS! And for us the last chance to win an extra match, something we will fight very hard for! But for that we need you too!
Host team VC Sneek kept it one a bit less subdued: “Next Saturday there will also be a supporters bus to Utrecht. The bus leaves at 11:30 am from the Sneker sports hall. The bus trip is free for members of VC Sneek, are you not a member? Then it costs €15 (excluding match ticket, which also costs €15). Register quickly, because FULL=FULL, IT’S GETTING OAN!
So the Galgenwaard and the fans were packed balanced each other well with their encouragement. It also became an even battle between the teams, in which VV Utrecht made it very difficult for the title candidate. VC Sneek needed five sets to make the return trip to Friesland as Dutch champions. The win came via 25-23, 22-25, 22-25, 25-19 and 11-15. Hard fought, but certainly not unjustified.
In the first set, VV Utrecht had the lead the necessary mistakes by Sneek built up a small lead at 12-10. With a 2 to 7 score after 12-10 it became 14-17. In that phase, Rosa Entius, Britt Schreurs and Nynke Hofstede were successful in the attack. VC Sneek held the difference well until 17-21. VV Utrecht came back to 19-21 thanks to scores from Marly Bak, among others.
Erik Reitsma went into timeout at that position, but that didn’t work for a while. VC Sneek made mistakes too often in the big points, they scored four times in the big points for the home team, who reached 23-23 via 22-22 and after a score from Iris Reinders. Two attacking errors by VC Sneek determined the final score, one before the time out at 24-23 and one after the time out at that score.
VV Utrecht, which has one in Christie Wolt had a very easy scoring passer runner, came 4-3 ahead, but then trailed 4-7. Three consecutive block points turned the score from 6-7 to 7-9. Rosa Entius and Britt Schreurs created a five-point margin at 9-14. With her score via the block, Anniek Siebring kept the difference at 11-15 on the boards.
VV Utrecht came back to 14-15, but lost the lead due to their own mistakes and points from Rosa Entius and Anniek Siebring, who closed the gap to 14-20. With a 5 to 1 score, VV Utrecht came back into the set at 19-21. Iris Reinders scored 20-22, but her attack put VC Sneek on set point a little later at 20-24. Utrecht was able to postpone the loss twice, VC Sneek went into the timeout at 22-24 and after that break, substitute Pleun van der Pijl beat her team to a 22-25 win.
The third set also went to VC Sneek. That again took a lot of effort, because the home team took an early 11-7 (after 7-7) lead through, among other things, an ace from Marly Bak and a striking smash from Christie Wolt. VC Sneek recovered. Nynke Hofstede, strong at the net and the service line, blocked her team to 11-10, and after the 12-10 she helped ensure that VC Sneek could take the lead at 12-13 with a quick mid combination with Nynke Oud.
The teams exchanged pennies at the top until 19-18, Britt Schreurs and Nynke Hofstede then made the difference to 20-22, after which Vera Koenen took the home team to the sidelines. Iris Reinders scored 21-22, Christie Wolt 22-24, the set was decided by Anniek Siebring who after the 21-24 also scored the 22-25 for the 1-2 score in sets.
VC Sneek lost the title by one set, VV Utrecht two sets of a third match. VC Sneek had the better start in the fourth set (0-3, 2-5, 5-7). But after 7-8 the advantage tilted to VV Utrecht, which turned the switch amid loud encouragement and led by playmaker Robin van de Velde and showed that it still believed in a resurrection. Ellemijn Stevens had joined the team and contributed to the score, as did Lynn Zweekhorst, who, for example, scored three points after 15-11 up to 18-11.
VV Utrecht headed for the decisive fifth set, gave away a few more points (to 18-14), but also took full advantage of their own serving pressure with accurate ‘thank you’ balls, which VC Sneek could not handle properly until 22-14 . VC Sneek came back to 22-17, the ‘stolen ball’, which made it 23-17 and the subsequent scores from Stevens and Zweekhorst determined the final 25-19 final score and therefore made the tiebreak necessary.
The tiebreaker; VC Sneek was still one set away from the title, VV Utrecht one set from a third party. At 2-5, Vera Koenen took VV Utrecht to the sidelines, Britt Schreurs, Anniek Siebring and Nynke Hofstede showed that VC Sneek was still fully focused and believed wholeheartedly in a good outcome. After a few points given away by VVU, the teams switched playing fields 4-8.
The first point after the field change was scored by Rixt van der Wal blocking, after Christie Wolt had hit from three meters, Britt Schreurs from the left front also scored another point for Sneek (5-10). Marly Bak and a VVU block points lifted the score to 8-10, on the side out it became 9-11. Nynke Hofstede made it 9-13 moments later with a serve pass that went too far and Christie Wolt reduced the difference to two points at 11-13. Anniek Siebring and a block point from VC Sneek then decided the tiebreak, the match, the final series and the battle for the Dutch title. So it was for VC Sneek for the second year in a row.
gh @ Visor on Volleyball. Archive photos Lieuwe Bosch and Rudy van ‘t Rood.
Tags: Sneek champion Netherlands
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