From A – lphen aan den Rijn
Our season kicked off in Alphen aan den Rijn, a place we know all too well. This time, it wasn’t in the old Arena where we’ve had many thrilling battles, but in a brand-new, modern hall: the Meteoor. Yet, this match felt different—and not just because of the venue. We were playing with an almost entirely new team, and that showed. The coordination wasn’t quite there yet, passes often missed the setter, and scoring was harder than expected. Without a coach, it was an extra challenge for me to guide the team both on and off the court. We lost the match 3-1—not exactly a dream start, but hey, we secured our first point of the season.
To Z – oetermeer
Our second match took us to Zoetermeer, one of the closest opponents this season. We headed there eager to bring some points back to The Hague, but things didn’t go as planned. We were still getting used to each other on the court, while Zovoc knew exactly where to place the ball to catch us off guard. In the third set, we found ourselves trailing 20-3—a tough blow. But then Milene stepped up to serve, delivering an impressive 13-point streak that brought us back into the set. With Gawein’s support and this time Coach Daan on the bench, we tried our best, but it wasn’t enough. We lost 4-0, and Coach Daan’s winning streak came to an abrupt end. We headed back to The Hague with heavy hearts.
Getting Better
Then came our third match, another away game. This time, the destination was Lunetten for a clash against Tovo. It was a bit further—45 minutes’ drive—but we made the most of it. After some last-minute changes in the league due to teams withdrawing, we ended up in a pool with many teams from the Utrecht region. This means more travel time, but also new opponents and the chance to say we’re playing on a national level 😉
Back to the match itself. Tovo had won their first game against Zovoc 4-0, so we kept our expectations modest. We entered the court with the mindset: “let’s just make it a fun match,” and it turned out to be the perfect approach. From the first point, we stayed resilient. In fact, we even led for most of the game! But, despite an 8-point lead at times, we couldn’t hold onto it in any set. Still, the scores—28-26, 25-23, 25-23, 25-17—tell a different story compared to our previous matches. We played with much more energy, our blocks were stronger, we played smarter by aiming for open spots instead of just hitting hard, and our defense held up a bit better.
So, even though the game ended 4-0 in Tovo’s favor, it almost felt like a win. A win for ourselves, because now we know there’s more potential in us. And that’s with a tight roster—no coach and no substitutes.
Time for Revenge
Next week, we head back to Utrecht to face the same team at the same time. It’s time for revenge and hopefully a few well-deserved points because that eighth place… we want to get out of there as soon as possible!
Dames 2