The season began with me taking on the delightful task of training a brand-new team. At the time, there were only four of them—slightly below the official “enough for a team” minimum—but enthusiasm more than made up for numbers. Due to personal circumstances, I had to hand over training duties to others, but in the short 1.5 months we trained together, we had already made some noticeable progress. Tonight, I was fortunate enough to coach them again and witness our efforts wobble gloriously onto the court.
Alas, no substitutions for Ladies 7. Nonetheless, the team was fired up for a thrilling encounter. VCS DS5, perched proudly atop the league with 31 points, were the Goliaths to our Davids. We, meanwhile, trailed in points and matches, which is to say: we had everything to gain and very little to lose.
Set 1 began with a minor tactical rebellion against Coach Andreea’s suggested line-up. Preferences, after all, are like socks: sometimes they must be slightly mismatched.
Kiara, making her very first appearance for Sovicos, demonstrated skills clearly honed during her time in Japan. Her passes were precise, her effort heroic, and her enthusiasm utterly contagious. Luize distributed balls across the court like a professional traffic controller at rush hour. Meanwhile, Louise, Suus, Amelia, and Eline attempted to locate the mysterious holes in the VCS defence with the precision of treasure hunters on a particularly vague map.
The previous encounter with VCS DS5 had been… humbling (set scores: 25-6, 25-9). Tonight, revenge—or at least slightly better scores—was on our agenda. The ladies darted across the court, scooping up every ball like it contained the secrets of the universe. VCS struggled to get into rhythm, and yet… 17-25. Set one: warm-up. Minimum effort achieved.
Set 2 opened with renewed determination. Pep talks were given, tactical advice handed out, and the players executed… fairly well. Points were scored! Balls were saved! Feet were trodden upon! Service errors, however, appeared like uninvited relatives at a wedding, creating chaos. VCS unleashed their service cannons, and suddenly we were reminded that volleyball is a contact sport… mostly with gravity. 10-25. Still, double digits: progress.
On to Set 3. A fresh start. Service arcs finally cleared the net, landing suspiciously within the four yellow lines. Kiara and Louise saved balls with the elegance of cats who have been training secretly in the arts of acrobatics. Eline blocked the middle as if the net itself had sworn allegiance to her. Suus danced between short and long balls with the precision of a Swiss watch. Amelia maintained calm in the backcourt, like a monastery abbot facing sudden chaos. Luize, the setter, performed smashes with such authority that one could almost hear a faint “I meant to do that”. The scoreboard eventually read 20-25, a heartbreakingly close affair, but a point certainly earned in the pantheon of small victories.
Set 4: the proverbial last stand. Nerves, sweat, and the faint hope of glory filled the hall. Every point was fought for with honour and occasional mild profanity. The team blocked, dived, and defended as though their lives depended on it. Kiara was everywhere at once, a blur of determination. Yet, just as victory seemed possible, miscommunication and panic snuck back in like mischievous pixies. 20-25.
Final score: 0-4. And yet… what a match! Compared to the previous drubbing at the hands of VCS DS5, tonight the ladies had fought like heroes, stumbled like comedians, and triumphed in spirit. I am proud to have been able to coach them tonight, witnessing a performance that was at once chaotic, brilliant, and entirely memorable.
Love, Milene