4 matches in 1 week... Off to a good start

After a week where there has been no matches due to the National Team Nordic Championship, we now face a week with 4 matches of which 3 will be due or die..

We began this week with a match in Århus against ASV(now 1-4) and the plan was simple from the start... We needed to perform well, execute fast and sparing some of the starters if possible.

The match got off to a perfect start with good serves and a steady side-out. ASV had a lot of problems finding answers to our speed in offense which gave our outsides 1 on 1 in the block a lot of the time.
1st game ends 25-11 in our favour.

2nd game and the picture was the same. We dominated ASV in all aspects and even though they faught well for every ball, the difference in level was too big.
Score in the 2nd game was 25-11.

3rd game and time to seal the deal. We always talk a lot about staying focussed during the games, but somehow 3rd game being up 2-0 is always a hard one.... but not today.
The girls performed close to perfection and they never gave ASV a chance to bring their middles into play.
Score was - believe it or not, 25-11...:0)

A victory 3 times 25-11 bringing us to a 3-1 division score, and we got to spare Kristen, Caley and Juliane who all stood out the whole match. I could not have asked for a better scenario even in my dreams.!
Julie(OH) played her first full match for the team and so did Jane(MB). They both showed the level needed, and fully lived up to my expectations. And as a coach it is nice to test your squad depth.


Quaterfinal coming up in the Cup tournament..

We are back in action already Tuesday playing KSV(now 3-2 in the league below us). The match is played 7.30 PM in Copenhagen and any match on a weekly day is always wierd. Most players on the teams are working a regular job before they play volleyball, so many things during a day can influence how each player is motivated for the match, so a big task is at hand for us coaches to make sure the team is ready - physically and mentally!
On Tuesday we are back to our normal starting line-up, eventhough the team performed well this Saturday, the Cup is just too important to take any chances.
KSV is a team fighting hard in defense and they played in the best league last year. We need to bring our very best to ensure a comfortable win, which is what we are going for.

Nordic Club Championship around the corner...

Friday we leave for Finland to play the 1st round in the N.C.C. and it is one of our season goals to promote to the final round. To reach that goal we need to win both matches in Finland, and there is no doubt that we will have a battle at hand. Generally the teams in Sweden and Finland are at a higher level than the Danish teams, but the last couple of years we have seen the Danish teams competing to the fullest with the rest of Scandinavia.

We play Saturday and Sunday but before that we have a chance to watch our opponents in action on Friday where they open the tournament. This will be the 2nd N.C.C. for me personally, and last year my team was there to learn, this year we are here to win.
I expect to be facing higher blocks, faster offense and tougher serving, but I also believe that we can bring the same to the table. I don't think we have seen our own full potential yet, and what better ocation that the N.C.C..?

All players are fit to play coming in to this week, and our focus at practise should bring everyone whos been out, up to speed. Dorthe(S) is playing the best I have seen from her side, and Jeanette(L) is showing more and more confidense both in passing and defense.


That's all for now, next time I write I hope to write about wins in the N.C.C.. We are bringing a smaller team(11 players and 2 coaches) so we will probably be outnumbered, "but better to bring 5 lions than 500 Sheep"

Michael