By George Liley
The volleyball team produced another dominant performance this evening to conquer Sheffield Hallam seconds in straight sets. Captain Jonas Pollex produced a scintillating show of excellence at the net, leaving York with back to back victories in matches that could very well have decided the fate of their season.
Hallam started brightly, setting the pace of the game from the off. Several positive attacks from Hallam opened up an initially nervy York defence, and the visitors found themselves taking control of the first set. York however rallied and found success in Panayiotis Nearchou’s expertly placed dinks, and the thunderous right hand of Chris Stent powered spikes across court to shake Hallam’s confident start. Jan Vohryzek looked alert at the net and exhibited dominant attacking play, bringing York level for the first time in the set. Nearchou’s dinks proved priceless and York were able to command the remaining games, taking the set 25-21.
York appeared uncharacteristically nervy throughout the second set, allowing Hallam to open up a five point lead at 19-14. Vohryzek, usually so reliable, could only send his serve into the net, whilst captain Jonas Pollex exhibited visible frustration at his own errors early on in the set. A much needed timeout seemed to work to York’s advantage, as the York squad rallied and eventually found some rhythm in their play. Hallam struggled to deal with the powerful serve of Pollex, and his cross court attacks also found success through a Hallam defence that appeared to be cracking. The second set found a thrilling finale as both sides were level 23-23 with very little room for error; however it was York’s Jonas Pollex who would raise his game once again. A thrilling rally was put to bed by a thunderous spike, as York won a nail-biting second set 25-23.
It was only in the third set that York seemingly began to enjoy themselves. Stent found gaps in a deflating Hallam defence, and Pollex was immovable at the net with some fine blocks and consistently accurate spikes. Hallam appeared to be lacking in attacking options, and were punished by the combination of Ekasith Srichawala and Pollex, who combined well to put York into a dominant lead. Bartek Krzyszycha provided a sturdy defence, allowing Stent to cause further problems. Despite efforts from the Sheffield fans to inspire a Hallam come-back, Pollex’s relentlessly powerful serving and accurate spikes proved to be too much, and York cruised to a 25-18 victory, and a straight sets win.
With another convincing win in a game so pivotal to their season, York spirits must be sky high. Bartek Krzyszycha touched upon what he called “lack of concentration” in the second set, however overall York appeared to be on scintillating form. Captain Jonas Pollex, Vision’s man of the match, said that “the match was one of the most important of our season”, and he sung high praises with regards to his team’s effort. York must now feel confident heading into their game against Leeds next week, and can take a lot from a game that exhibited the kind of skill, passion and team play that has come to encompass the York Volleyball squad.