Volleyball players Dynamo bring tension back to the title battle in a new thriller

NOS Sports•yesterday, 10:39 PM

Volleyball players Dynamo remain in the race for the national title after a thriller against Orion

Draisma Dynamo does not have to give up hope of a new national title in volleyball. The Apeldoorn team won the third match in the best-of-five series against Orion in a new five-setter (22-25, 14-25, 25-22, 25-21 and 15-10) and thus reduced the deficit to 2-1.

The next match will now follow on Friday, in which Dynamo can level. Orion still needs a win to win the title.

Orion and Dynamo were already tied in the previous two matches. Both times a five-setter was needed to reach a decision and each time the penny fell in the right direction for Orion, the team of trainer Dirk Spardans.

As a result, the hope for a first title in five years is very much present in Doetinchem. For the first time since 2019, the hall was completely sold out. There were about 1,600 supporters in the stands for the team that had only won the championship twice before.

Watch the reaction of Dynamo coach Redbad Strikwerda, who saw a ‘heated evening’:

Dymamo coach Strikwerda saw a heated evening: ‘It’s nice that there will be a fourth match’

Over the past three years, Orion and Dynamo have also played against each other in the play-offs for the championship, but the last two times the team from Apeldoorn was stronger. Dynamo has already won a total of fifteen national titles.

Things were evenly matched for a long time in the first set. Although Dynamo often took the lead, it was Orion that took control in the final phase. With the help of trendsetter Samuli Kaislasalo, the steps towards the first set were taken.

The Finn himself scored 23-22 and had a good block at 24-22. The deciding point in the set caused some controversy as Dynamo’s Cas Abraham was convinced to hit the ball out via an Orion hand, but the referees gave the point to Orion and there was no video referee to overrule that decision.

In the second set, that controversial point seemed to reverberate in the minds of the Apeldoorn team. Orion quickly expanded into a large hole. With the help of Jannes van der Ham, the difference became ten points at one point.

That gap was reduced slightly, but the second set also went to Orion, which at times showed gallery play: 25-14.

But Dynamo did not want to simply accept defeat. Trainer Redbad Strikwerda seemed to get the players motivated and the Apeldoorners quickly took a 1-3 lead in the third set. That gap was lost a few times in the set, but Dynamo always showed resilience.

Stikwerda eventually saw his team take a 17-20 lead and the joy was back a bit. Until the moment Jack Williams hit a serve right on the back of Abraham’s head, who went dizzy to the ground.

But Abraham’s pain quickly disappeared when he saw Duco Krook win the third set: 22-25.

And just like in the previous championship matches, there was a fifth set again. Because Dynamo was also stronger than Orion in the fourth set, which seemed to have lost its way for a while: 21-25.

The fifth set was in balance for a long time, with both teams conceding very little to each other. The decision came at the end. Now there was another disputed point at 10-12, but Dynamo took advantage this time and worked towards the win in the fifth set: 10-15.