JERSEY men’s volleyball team produced a magnificent weekend of results, winning all three games from their second round of fixtures in the Hampshire Volleyball Association Division 1.
After landing two wins and one defeat in their opening weekend, captain Chris De Rue and his side faced a tough day which involved a particularly mouth-watering clash with top side, Salisbury Men.
Starting off the day, however, was a clash with University of Southampton 1, where the Islanders secured a straight-sets win, 25-16, 29-27.
During the weekend’s preview, men’s player/coach Ed Parslow spoke about the team’s requirement for more mental focus and to continue their momentum late into games, something which came to fruition immediately in set two.
“We’re absolutely delighted with our efforts this round,” said Parslow. “Playing the first game of the day was good for us because we were able to arrive, warm up and get straight on court.
“Even though sometimes it is beneficial to get to watch a couple of games first to help pump us up for our own, I think we managed the timing of this game really well.
“We have focused a lot recently on our fitness, both physically and mentally.
“As a group, we recognised that we were letting our form dip towards the end of some sets and we wanted to make sure we put that right this time around.
“The second set was a really close one, but we managed to step up when required and get the game done in straight sets, which was a big confidence booster for us.”
Moving into game two, Jersey faced Roke Polonia, who had returned mixed results from their opening fixtures.
They needn’t have worried though, as another straight-sets win was secured, 25-19, 25-19.
With two wins in the bag and spirits high, Parslow and his cohorts turned their attention to one of the high-flyers in the first couple of weeks, Salisbury Men, who, before the day began, sat atop of the division.
In a tough start to the game, Jersey found themselves a set down, losing a close opener 21-25.
“That first set against Salisbury was tough,” Parslow continued. “They had a couple of big hitters and we struggled a bit to work out their system.
“But one thing we have in abundance in the JVA, both men’s and women’s teams, is variety.
We have players who can adapt their styles of play to offer a multitude of threats across the court.
“Once the second set started, we had figured them out a bit and we began to play more fluidly and really make our mark on offence.”
Jersey levelled the game up at the first opportunity, taking the second set 25-17.
However, the third was a “real nail-biter”, as Parslow described.
“It was a proper thriller of a set, it swung back and forth the whole way. They actually had a small lead at one point, but we managed to dig deep and really pull together as a team.
“Just like what we have been speaking about, the whole group were locked in and focused on getting the job done.
“When that final serve from Chris hit the floor, we were absolutely ecstatic to have landed the win.”
The third set went to Jersey 16-14, a statement win against a strong side and one that will have sent shock-waves through the rest of the division.
“We are here to win,” Parslow concluded.
“The rest of the league knows now what we are capable of and we thrive under that pressure.
“We have come a long way as a team and to start landing wins against the big teams is a real sign of how much we have improved and how much further we can still go.”
The men have a long wait before their final round of HVA league fixtures, which will not take place until 6 April.
In the meantime, however, the JVA women’s side travel to Hampshire for their second round of games on 9 March, before both teams welcome their Channel Island rivals Guernsey to our shores for the coveted inter-insular contest, on 23 March.
JVA Men’s squad: Chris De Rue (c), Ciaran Westgate, Daniel Beck, Finn Hollick, Jack Messervy, Patryk Lalka, Riki Spriggs, Tim Silvester, Valentin Heuguet, Edouard Parslow.
