Devils beat EG2

Devils played EG2 at Michael's Hall (really nice venue, although rather too hot, must be used to the Arctic conditions of WHS). Em and Agi were our dynamic middle pairing, Chantelle and Katie Lay through the outside and Mel and Robyn were setter and opposite, with Brinee on baby sitting duties with young Dylan, for the first two sets. The first set started pretty evenly with both teams getting used to the limited serving space, and probing for weaknesses. The turning point was Em's serve at 8-8 to give Worthing a strong lead 18-8, with Chantelle and Agi hitting well front court and Katie, Robyn and Em covering well and getting good passes in, which meant we could open the middle. EG fought back with the traditional Vanya specials and some nice hitting by Cate! The second set stayed close throughout with Devils just winning 25-21 although Katie stepped up in this set, getting further out on her approach and mixed her hitting up with power hits to line and cross court with the odd tip thrown in to keep EG on their toes! You could tell Agi was back as we had missed the footvolley in her absence! Chantelle took over the entertainment of Dylan in the third set, so Em moved to the outside. The early points were traded with mother and daughter Hands working well together and picking up points. As always Brinee did well with a massive block and clever hitting around EG's block. Another run of points off the Churcher serve closed out the match with a mix of deep serves to one and five and cheeky shorts. Unfortunately Em couldn't have the MVP as she was playing up, but Chantelle was a deserved second option and Vanya for the serving, cover and nice setting got it for EG. Match report from Dan and check out the Video from Andy. http://youtu.be/PVdzfvO3WxI

Devils win the league again!

Devils win the league with a 3-2 win against a stronger than usual Freedom team with some great play.., Andreea put in a good performance in her first game for the club and all the players stepping up did fantastically well, with solid serving and defence! Em (not bad for her first game back after five months and a baby) and captain Brinee lead the charge with the power hitting, although everyone had a go! It was a shame time ran out when they were losing in the fourth as they were coming back.. It would have been interesting to see how that set turned out! Also a shame for Pirates as they were looking good and had earnt the 2-1 lead battling through out! Congratulations to the Devils in a season that has seen them supplement a strong core of regular Devils with guest appearances from the Demons and Angels. Well done to Dan for his coaching and organisational skills and another awesome result for the club. Focus now moves to our Ladies NVL team that have a crucial fixture next week. Please try and make it along to give them the support they deserve trying to secure back to back promotions!

Weekend round up

Sharks fought hard with two ladies helping out for the first time this season, but lost to a ever improving Brighton team. MVP Kish

Angels though notched up their first win (hopefully of many) 3-0, with both Tayna and Sylwia playing well. MVP Em

Devils also won 3-0 at home to EG2 who also are improving each time we play them, helped by having Elaine there to guide them and take control in the moments they got pulled out of shape. MVP Sintija

Devils play an improving EG2

Devils took on EG2 missing Amy and Em (playing with Angels).  The team set up with Brinne and Chantelle through four, Agi and Gem in the middle and Sintija and Mel in there usual spots.

Simon had stepped up to coach EG2 and managed to get a team together roping in Lou and Elaine from the first team and sweet talking others to play.  Sintija always the thoughtful host captain gave the serve to the opposition.  A tentative start from both teams saw EG get the better of the early passage of play with Elaine and Simon organising and encouraging the team.  The game turned on Chantelle’s serving supported by Brinee finding the line and Sintija covering big areas of the court encouraging the team to pick up the level of their performance.  Those 7 points pulled Devils back into the game and the young EG team looked a little nervous.  A big hit from Lou encouraged them but wasn't enough to get them back into the game, with Gemma’s sneaky serve picking up runs of points and the set finished 25-16.

The same Devils team started set 2 and again traded points at the start of the game, a rested Agi though tested her shoulder out and picked up 8 points many ace’s to give Devils a 14-6 lead which looked insurmountable for EG2.  Good spells setting and serving from their 49 made the game interesting and although a come back wasn’t on the cards EG played nice volleyball and smiled throughout (except when facing Sintija’s serve when it was more of a grimace).  Tree’s came on to set for the second half of the set, although it took awhile to get used to getting in quickly the setting its self looked good! 25–14 was the final score.

In the third set Sintija and Trees shared the setting and Katie Lay started through the outside after joining us halfway through the second set (just back from beating Brighton Pitates 3-0), although Devils started well building a 8-2 lead EG came back though Elaine’s serving and better first balls in which enable their front court of Faber, Popova and Treween to run a more effective attack.  Devils remained strong and saw the set and game out 25-19 

MVP’s went to Sintija

Devils struggle against a injury prone EG!

A trip to EG isn’t the same without someone getting lost, a couple of minor detours for team Churcher meant that Chantelle et al had been waiting a while and were mid warm up by the time they turned up.  While Agi was still no-where to be seen, the locals were learning new Polish swear words and her new sat-nav was in danger of being thrown out the widow!

Worthing had a small but strong squad with Chantelle, Trees, Brinee, Agi, Mel, Sintija and Em.  EG1 on the other hand had a team assembled on the day registering players, playing players up and players missing or playing with injuries!

A up-beat Devils started well with Agi and Sintija serving deep and putting EG under pressure from the start.  A good first ball in and setting meant that Worthing sided out first time for the first five servers until Paulina stepped up and served 5 on the trot bringing EG back to 10-15.  Sintija not wanting to be outperformed took up the challenge and served the next 7 points supported by good hitting from Trees and Agi.  This was a fairly comfortable set (25-16) and the game looked like it would be a quick 3-0 and drive down to the Market Dinner to meet Vipers for a fry up to celebrate a double win.

However EG1 came out like a different team in the second set, the early nervous and communication issues miraculously disappeared, while Devils looked a little complaisant making numerous serve errors and gave easy points away.  A Brinee dive early on showed how committed and determined to win they were, but EG never let a ball hit the floor with fantastic cover all round.  Brinee's dive was matched and exceeded by Mandy's pancake which turned the momentum towards EG and you could see the tension get to a couple of Devils as hitting errors started to creep in at the end of the set, which finished 25-21.

Set three saw Devils come out fighting and again Sintija's bullet serving gave Devils a strong start 6-3 and they kept that lead through the set up to 11-15, until they got stuck on a rotation with Vanya serving, supported by Paulina hitting well through four which turned the game in EG flavour 19 -15.  Strong hitting from Chantelle kept Worthing in the set and the referee did well controlling the game as the tension cranked up at 24-24, with Anna  picking up what looked like a sure winner from Chantelle and EG then got the rub of the green with the net being kind to them to win the set 26-24 after some great play from both teams.

Captain Sintija rallied the troops and while there were some early serve errors from both teams, Mel stepped up and with controlled serves deep to five and a strong attacking line at the net Worthing built a lead.  Two stuff blocks from Brinee along with a couple of screamers one from Brinee and the other from Sintija that even the solid defence of EG couldn't get hands too edged it as Devils got into full swing winning 25-15.

Devils looked more relaxed and were keen to start the final set after winning the fourth. Emma came on to give another strong serve in the short set and another calm head on court (cough cough), while Agi made more noise off court than all the players and supporters combined!  Again this was a competitive set with good play from both teams. Devils started strong with Brinee serving well and built a four point lead from the start, but good cover by Vanya and Paulina kept EG in the game and a stuff block by Louise had Worthing on the back foot for a moment before Mel again helped them compose themselves with her consistent serve and back court setting to finish strong 15-11.

Considering the makeshift/injury heavy team this was a great performance by EG and goes to show how good the Sussex Volleyball League is - both teams will be looking to prove a point in the rematch!

A tired Devils take on Teela

After a tough five setter it was back to the high school to officiate another five setter Sharks against Llamdos, with Sharks improving every time they play.  It was great to see the same six players for two games on the trot and Ben being able to make it gave them a squad, although being thrown in at opposite was a big challenge for him!  Another good performance to push an experienced Llamdos so far and MVP to Kish.

Devils happily had Agi join them for this game although Gem couldn't leave Todd this time.  They started with Chantelle and Amy through four, Brinee and Agi in the middle and the usual Mel and Sintija as setter and opposite.  A slower paced game let Devils run the combinations and Mel and Sintija worked well running the cross over again once Agi had got over her surprise!  (Although watching the middle run away from the set was rather amusing in the second set - Trees!)  A comfortable 25 - 12 with Sabrina picking up 11 points from her serve and terrorising the players covering at five.

Set two saw Brinee move to four with Amy, Trees played through the middle and Agi, Mel and Sintija stayed as before.  The move to four didn't affect Brinee's serving as she continued to rain power serves down on Teela and Sintija joined in on the action.  A knee slide dive early in the set from Agi showed the commitment and determination from Devils to push on from their strong start and back court Agi was covering well picking up the tips well.  Sintija enjoyed a couple of screamers from back court.

In the third and final set Devils set up the same as in the second, with Chantelle coming on for Trees through the middle for part of the set.  Again the Brinee serve caused problems for Teela's serve receive giving the Devils a 9-0 lead.  Consistent line hitting from Sintija and Brinee worked well and a big middle hit from Chantelle finished off the game and set 25-12, 25-17 and 25-11.

MVP didn't surprise anyone - Well done Brinee although don't be so quick to step out of the pass!

Angels v Devils

Angel's opening game of the season was always going to be a challenge trying to gel six players and get the rotations right after just a few hours of training is an impossible task, added to that they were playing the winners of the league - Devils (and they certainly didn't want to lose to a team from their own club!)

Angels look to have lost Cleo, so Sandrine stepped into set with Sylwia opposite, Em and Katie through the outside and Aly and Tanya middle.

The Devils were at full strength except for Em, with the pleasant surprise of Gemma making it down for the game! The coach showed no mercy and threw her straight into the game, meaning the Farley's kept each other company on the bench.

The opening points were tit-for-tat with both teams starting strongly and the Devils caught a bit on the back foot from the fight from the Angels! Mark would have been pleased as both teams served well with no errors.  It wasn't until 7-7 when the Devils started to open up a points gap, with the consistent strong hits dragging Angels all over the court.  Although Tanya did a terrific job covering the lines the combined hitting through 2 and 4 slowly put Devils in front.  Emma enjoyed being part of the serve receive for a change passing in good balls for Sandrine to set, which Katie, Sylwia and Aly took advantage of. Angels finished strong and Katie even cracked a smile (rare for any Lay) after a couple of power hits from four!  Army's consistent hitting got Devils out of tricky situations a couple of times following shanks from hits by Sylwia and Aly.

The second set saw Brinee come on through the outside for Amy.  Strong runs of serve early in the set by Chantelle and Agi gave the Devils a big 10 point gap, but a good time out from the Angels coach saw them settle and refocus coming back with good front court play from Sylwia, Tanya and Katie.  Sintija and Mel started to link up well and a better first ball in meant they could run a cross over successfully - Training paying off! Brinee enjoyed playing through four and put some big hits over and Agi for the second game in a row was dominant front court, but they didn't have it all there own way and there were numerous points when they had to scrabble the ball back following hits from Tanya and Katie. They even forced the first pancake of the year from Amy (on for Chantelle) whoop whoop!

Trees came on for Gemma in the final set and Amy was back on for Brinee. Angels came out all guns blazing in the third set determined not to give away early strings of points on serve receive and they didn't, keeping the game very close until Trees stepped up to serve five points in a row, mainly due to communication issues as the first ball in was generally pretty good and with the height in the Angels they will challenge a lot of teams. It was good to see Chantelle run a 'b' run on for the last point of the game!  The final score was 25-16, 25-14, 25-14.

If Angels play like that every week we will see some upsets and possibly a challenger to Mickey for 'most passionate coach!'

Well played Sintija a well deserved MVP it was great to see you applying the training in a game and thanks for bringing the 'Mafia' It was a tough call for Angels MVP everyone played so well with both Tanya, Sylwia and Katie all nominated by various members of Devils! In the end Tanya was chosen - congratulations!

2014/15 opening game - Devils vs Freedom Pirates

So here we go again, the start of a brand new season.  Devils were missing Amy, Mel, Gemma and Sintija (sunning yourself in Portugal is that really a good enough excuse from the captain...? Well yes, I'd probably say so) were playing at home to the newly formed Freedom Pirates.  

Katie Lay stepped up for her first game with the Devils and lucky for them that she did! A string of errors from Devils in the opening set meant that the score was tied 6-6 before Katie stepped up to serve and calm everyone's nervous (ok mainly the coaches) by giving them a 7 point gap.  The Devils not wanting to be shown up followed suit with Em power serving 7 more and Trees going for placement over power and racking up 5 to win the set comfortably.

The next two sets started better but Devils never got out of first gear.  Agata dominated front court putting away some good dig sets from Trees and a number of loose balls from Pirates, which would have been enough to get her MVP on other days instead auntie Chantelle took the honours, after a fine performance, leading by example calling for the ball and cheering the rest of the team on to a 25-9, 25-12, 25-10 victory!

For the first two sets Em and Agi played through the middle, Katie and Chantelle through four and Brinne and Trees opposite and setter.  In the final set the ever versitile Brinee finally sweet talked the coach into playing her in the one position that eluded her last season...setter!  After giving the second ref some stick she settled into the role, setting well but also nailing a couple of big blocks while front court!

It was great to see some of the new club members come along to see how games work and the team  appreciated Gemma and Todd making it down to support the team, even if it was a flying visit!

Great Start To The Season

Devils played their first match without many regulars including Sintija, Amy, Gemma and Mel. This meant Emma playing up from the Angels and Katie Lay starting her first match again playing up from the Angels. After a slow start to the first set normal service was resumed and they won the match 3-0. Watch this space in case Dan loads a more detailed report!

Jets started slow against Crawley with a debut for Nino, Matt Lay playing his first match opposite and Mickey through the outside. Having lost Bernard, Dom, Matt Wilkes and Iain over the summer it was a case of getting to know each other in the first set. Jets lost the first set, but cut out the mistakes to win the next two sets before losing the fourth which set up a fifth set thriller!

A flying start to the final set with lots of noise and fewer mistakes enabled a 3-2 winning start to the season.

Luis picked up MVP for the Jets and Chantelle for the Devils.

Devils still going strong!

Devils had a skeleton crew for the game against Brighton Teela, with Mel skiing, Agata at a pub quiz with the other mums (congratulations on second place and winning £79, the first round is on you at the next social!), Trees taking one for the team and scoring (thank you), and Paula studying hard.  That meant Em got to chill out on the bench having played beach volleyball for two hours followed by two more hours of 2 on 3 indoors!  Happily we had Gemma back in the fold playing in the middle with Brinee, Chantelle and Amy through the outside and Sintija and Robyn opposite and setter.

In the first set Devils had their traditional slow start and were 5 points down quickly, with Teela playing and serving well.  As always Sintija lead by example, always cajoling the team, calling for the ball and putting in huge amounts of effort.  Once Gemma stepped up to with her new power serves Devils were back in the mix at 6-5 up and they slowly pulled away from there.  Amy's bullet serves added four more points with Brinee helping through dominating the net.  When Gemma got to front court she showed what Devils had been missing making five or six big blocks. Devils took the first set 25-14.

The same team started the second set cutting out a number of errors and serving well.  Robyn front court was keen to get in on the action stealing a few first balls, luckily they were good passes and Sintija enjoyed having the opportunity to set. Chantelle calling for pipe balls used the back court attack effectively.  This was a much tighter set with Teela covering the court well and putting Devils under pressure with consistent serving and good work front court.  Again Amy's serve was effective and front court Brinee and Chantelle were picking up the points, which lead to a closer 25-21 win for Devils.

For a change there were only five supporter for a home game, while Carl looked like he had fallen asleep at one end and Craig was unusually quiet without his partner in crime, the two Latvians continued to create more noise that I thought was humanly possible!

In the third set Sintija and Brinee found their serving shoes from last Monday building a lead early on that they didn't look like relinquishing.   There were a couple of wobbles, but Chantelle was focused on winning in straight sets and rallied the troops covering corner to corner, which in turn made everyone else pick up their game, ensuring that Devils won the key (and some very long) rallies.  Robyn was setting well to Sintija and the middles which they converted into points and soon the third set was over 25-14.

Chantelle was given the MVP award after doing a fantastic job playing at six covering the whole of the back court, consistently serving well and hitting a few tasty spikes.

A big thank you to Iain, Steve, Dani and Chantelle's Mum for ensuring that the game could take place with a full complement of officials! Only one local league game to go - Dolphins1 on 6th April!

Video Highlights From Devils v East Grinstead

Its taken a while, but finally worked out how to upload the video highlights from the recent Devils match against East Grinstead.

Two days and two games for Devils!

Devils played two local league games in the space of two days Crawley Redstars on Sunday and Dolphins2 on Monday. 

First up at home were Crawley, with only Gemma, Paula and Robyn missing.  The starting six were Mel setting, Sintija opposite, Brinee and Agata through the middle and Chantelle and Amy through the outside. It was a slow start from Devils with the teams trading points until Mel stepped up to serve, with solid serving and a strong front court line up Devils pulled ahead.  Once they had the lead at 15-12 they never looked like giving it up slowly clawing a 6 point lead to win 25-19.  Chantelle through the set was stretched back court covering the deep corners and only through some impressive dives reached a couple of the hits, which received cheers from the crowd and delighted the bench who scored her 9.8, 9.6 and 10.00. 

Em and Trees stayed on the bench for the second set and the team started much stronger quickly establishing a 15-8 lead with Chantelle serving well and Brinee and Amy looking menacing at the net.  A big hit from Sintija closed out the set with a final score of 25-17.


In the third set Em came on to ensure that we didn't drop that classic third set.  Unfortunately she hadn't read the script and Devils lost 25-21 when they got stuck on one rotation for 7 points.  Agata's traditional "Av' it" moment in each game rescued a point, but even with a late surge from Devils, Crawley kept their heads and closed out the set.

In the fourth set the Devils came out with the same team that started the second set and were looking to close out the game quickly working hard to keep the ball alive.  Capitan Sintija was in feisty spirits passing and then swing hitting and cheering the Devils on to greater levels of effort.  The team met the challenge and won 25-8.

MVP went to Captain Sintija who had a great game leading the team and hitting well.

Monday evening Devils travelled to Dolpins2 missing Trees, Em, Paula and Gemma.  Robyn was back after going up to Kettering to coach the under 16 Ashcombe girls in the National Cup.  Sintija lost the toss (again) but leading by example forced the girls to warm up properly, to a chorus of moans and the rustle of crisp packets being put away.

Devils started the same as the Crawley game, but with Robyn setting.  The team begin well with consistent serves and first balls in, allowing Robyn to spread the ball and attack from all positions.  This in turn meant Devils sided out first time in nearly every rotation.  Sabrina dominated the net while Amy worked hard covering back court showing Chantelle how you should dive for a ball.  There were a couple of simple serving errors, but apart from that it was a really positive first set.  The coach even had to change his standard first time out team talk.

For the second set Mel came on for Robyn, but the rest of the team stayed the same and everyone upped their game cutting out the serve errors.  Agata set the target of serving for six consecutive points and Brinee feeling that her title as serving king pin was on the line then went on to double it and serve for twelve points with numerous aces through a mix of power serves and sneaky short serves keeping Dolphins guessing.  As a reward she came off for Robyn once she had finished serving,  Robyn though failed to touch the ball for the rest of the game!  The highlight of the set was Agata pulling out another of her Ronaldo-esq kicks to win a point, admittedly she had served and been a smidge slow getting in to cover the block, it was still a great kick that had the scorers admitting they would have been proud to have pulled it off!

The same six started the third set and carried on with the same style of attacking volleyball.  Mel again set consistently and even got in on the action with a cheeky second ball over and a nice hit.  Sintija kept the teams energy high always supporting the other team members and enjoying her big hits.  Amy, Chantelle and Agata all had strong games communicating well, covering a lot of court and picking up points front court.  Brinee came up to serve at 14-10 knowing that she couldn't get another 12 serves in a row(with only 11 needed to get to 25), but still managed to finish the game 25-10.  With Robyn coming on for Chantelle front court and keen to get at least one more touch Mel set her for the last point of the game, which she put away for a clean winner.  

This means Worthing Devils retain the Sussex Volleyball Association Ladies Div 1 title this year, but could be challenged next year by a number of teams with both Brighton and East Grinstead giving them tough games in the last couple of weeks and Dolphins1 still to go.

That meant everyone could get home at a reasonable hour for training tomorrow night.....except Agata, Sintija and Dan might still be on the road somewhere, they were last seen heading towards Dartford about an hour later!

MVP went to Mel after a great performance setting up the attacks and defending the first ball well back court.  

Brighton Teela are the penultimate game of the season this Sunday 15th March, 20:00 at the High School. Supports as always welcome!

Monster Match between Devils and Adora

Following the strong game against East Grinstead last week Worthing Devils travelled to the only remaining team in the league to have only dropped two games all season and with a couple of new players Brighton were a team on form.

Devils had a full team except for Gemma who was bringing a bit of (much needed) glamour to the coaching team.  The starting six were Mel, Sintija, Agata, Em, Trees and Chantelle.  Worthing started slowly with Brighton coming off better in the early exchanges building a 10-5 lead, Worthing looking tense and were making a number of simple errors.  It was only with Mel serving supported by a strong front court that we started to make a dent on the lead clawing back 9 points and taking us into the lead for the first time at 23-19.  Trees took her que to close out the set 25 - 21 and Devils were one up away from home without playing their prettiest volleyball!

The second set started with the same team and again started very slowly with Brighton having the better start.  It took Mel pulling out a wonder dive to keep the game alive at 18-24 down to inspire the team to make a late push to pull it back to 21-25, but they couldn't quite finish the set.  With impressive blocking from both sides the back court had to work hard to pick up loose balls and tips over the block. Brinee had a good rotation putting up a couple of massive blocks but didn't really have an opportunity to unleash her power hits.

A couple of changes were made for the third set with Sabrina coming on for Agata and Robyn for Mel.  For the first time the team started passing more confidently helping to build strong attacks which meant our hitters were getting better balls in and boy did they take advantage of it!  The halls ceiling and walls took a peppering as Brighton struggled to contain our power hits and strong serving.  Robyn setting cleverly used Trees and Chantelle back court to minimise the big Brighton block in key rotations and Sintija was everywhere diving across the court to pick up balls and raining down the hits front court.  The Devils heads were up and they were enjoying themselves, as were the crowd who were cheering them on enthusiastically from the sides!  From 4-8 up they quickly added to their lead and soon had a 9 point gap through a combination of strong serving by Sabrina and Chantelle and fantastic hitting by Trees, Sintija and Em.  The set ended 25-13 and the team were keen to get back on the court for the next set!.

After such a strong set the same team came out to finish the game, hopefully in the same style.  Brighton fought back though and stopped Devils getting the same head of momentum in this set.  With both teams playing aggressive attacking volleyball and with strong blocking on both sides Worthing couldn't build a big lead and had to settle for a keeping a two point lead throughout the game until Trees stepped up at the end to win the final four points to get us over the line 25-19 winners - phew!

Brinee claimed another MVP with a rare performance through the middle - anyone would think that's her usual position!


The Devils are back in action at home next Sunday against Crawley.

A close game for Devils!

With the teams warming up to the retro cheese that Brinee loves, the already large crowd got a boost by the late arrival of East Grinstead Men's first team following a mad dash across the county from Hastings.  With the Latvian's on the tambourine and Craig and Mark making plenty of noise the atmosphere was fantastic!

Devils had a full squad apart from Paula who was missing the fun to do Uni work and Gemma who was hopefully saving herself for next week, it was good to see her and Howard come along and support though!  Sintija finally seems to be getting the hang of this Captain malarkey and won the toss for the second time this year!

A cagey opening few points saw the scores even until Agata stepped up to serve, giving Worthing a 7 point lead. East Grinstead rallied and fought back with strong serving from Dani which along with rare serve receive errors and a lack of communication saw EG come back into the game before Trees started finding holes in their defence. Slowly Worthing edged ahead but with both teams picking up lots of balls and never giving up there were plenty of long rallies and tense moments before we reached the 25-18 conclusion.

The only change in the second set was bringing Robyn on to set.  This was a much stronger set from Devils who sided out first time on each rotation.  Sabrina coming on front court for Robyn had an immediate impact (once she remembered she wasn't playing through four) putting a big block on their outside hitters and putting them under pressure with her aggressive attacks.  Sintija adjusted well to her new role as back court setter spreading the ball and throwing the odd second ball over. Devils rode their luck on a couple of points with the 33 from East Grinstead hitting a great power hit through the middle, only for Amy to play it off her shoulder with a casual flick for a text book pass into two and on the next point Agata pulled out her trade mark kick after a poor ball in, only to perfectly set up Sintija who didn't let the opportunity pass to hit a screamer! Worthing finished a more comfortable 25-8 winners.

Those people thinking that EG's heads would drop after that set were very much mistaken, following the team talk between sets they came back on court ready to fight it out.  In the tightest set of the day neither team could get a run of serves together to build a lead of more than a point throughout the set.  Paulina and the EG Libero were picking up most of our serves forcing Devils to work hard recycling their attacks.  Sabrina through two again proved to the naysayers she can jump by making it to a surprise shoot and killing it with venom!  With emotions running high both teams were hitting hard and working to get the ball back, with  Chantelle and Agata making some fantastic pick ups. Chantelle's confidence was up helping carry Devils over the finish line with her hitting back and front court finding gaps.  Devils just managed to find the last couple of points at the end of the set for Worthing to edge it 26-24, but it could have gone either way!

MVP went to Chantelle but it must have been a close call between her and Agata!
A great game was finished with a cheeky half in the Northstar with the majority of the  East Grinstead team and supporters.  Up next is Brighton1 for Devils, while Demons take on East Grinstead's second ladies team tonight (Monday 24th Feb)

A great team performance!

Crawley Redstars vs Worthing Devils

Devils travelled to Crawley in the wind and rain without Trees, Chantelle, Paula or Amy.  Gemma and Brinee came along to help make up the numbers although neither of them were at their sparkling best.  While Robyn also carrying a knock from her earlier activities.  To help make up a squad Katy Begley made her début as an honorary Devil. 

With our usual outside players out Sintija played through four in the first set along side the versatile Brinee.  Gemma and Agata were the middles and Robyn and Mel were the setter and opposite. The teams traded points throughout the set with the Devils making a number of basic errors putting pressure on themselves. Worthing couldn't quite finish the rallies and Crawley were strong defensively picking up lots of hits.  At 22-18 down Devils started to find their feet and with Katy coming on front court making some big hits, it looked like they were going to steal the set fighting back to 24-25 serving for match point, before losing 27-25!

In the second set Brinee and Emma went through four, Katy and Agata through the middle, with Mel and Sintija in their usual positions.  Again the set started competitively, but this time the errors were cut out and the noise on court picked up, lead by team motivator and Captain Sintija!  With confidence came stronger hitting which slowly meant Worthing built a lead of 5 points which they never looked like relinquishing.  Katy playing her first full set made a difference running a number of shorts with Mel that Crawley didn't get near.

The same team started the third set, this time they started strongly from the start with five servers (Brinee, Katy, Sintija, Em and Agata) taking us to a 24 - 4 lead.  Although the serving was good the front court players worked hard blocking and hitting with good cover from the back court.  Again the team spirit on court was fantastic, with everyone working hard for each other and cheering each other on! 

Mel always consistent with the sets carried on setting in the fourth set, spreading the ball and keeping Crawley on their toes.  Em at four had to use all her cunning early in the set, following a block from a big hit, which Brinee scrabbled to cover, Em demanded the ball again for a tip which came back and then demanding it again for a roll down the line into a massive hole!  From there the team's heads were up and look to finish the game quickly.  Agata in front court had a couple of lovely hits deep to one which were very successful and soon Devils had a big lead and finished the set 25 - 12 winners.

Although she wasn't feeling well and was hoping to just support the team Brinee ended up playing the whole game through four.  She still managed to produced another MVP performance with great work back court, picking up the free balls, serve receiving well and covering Em's hits as well as her usual big hitting! 

A big thank you to the sickies that travelled and the assistant coach for the skittles and driving, especially taking the Captain home, saving her another hour and a half train journey from Worthing home!

Devils v Demons Part1

Demons Vs devils nov 3rd2013

A dark, dark evening, the wind howled, the rainpoored....would there be fireworks? Could the demons sparkle? Did anyone think to bake pumpkin pie?? Or would the first match between the ladies turn into a horrorspooktacular???

Read on ....if you dare!!!

It was certainly a treat for those watching, and there were plenty of tricks to be had. First set was full of the holiday spirit, with a good fight from those demon spirits who gave a good effort to ward off those horny little devils, but sadly returned to the look of horror from Micky, who had just found out the was no bake off tonight! 13;25.

The second set saw fires alight, and the expectation of a sugar overload from the scorekeepers as they consumed copious amounts of goodies... by the way Damo, great Halloween costume; you looked proper scary!!...oh..sorry, my mistake...Anyway; 17;25 a respectable effort from the demons; it was certainly not the day of the dead!

The third set, with Lorna and Mickey making an emergency child care escape, was gruesome but not murderous, and matched the first set point for spiky point!

One ,two Worthing’s coming for you,

Three ,four, don’t drop cake on the floor

Five, six, get your volleyball fix

Seven, eight, don’t block late

Nine, ten, hit them balls in again!

Devils, you may win this time, but Demons are always ready to come out to play after dark!!!!!!!!!!!!

Devils beat Valkyries....just!

Worthing Devils travelled to Eastbourne to play Valkyries without Trees, Chantelle and Gemma.  The starting team were Mel and Sintija (setter and opposite), Emma and Agata (middle), Amy and Sabrina (through four) with Robyn on the bench.

Devils started off looking nervous and were quiet on court, but slowly started to edge ahead in the first set helped by some strong serving from Mel when the score was even with two ace’s in a run of 6 serves.  Captain and MVP Sintija was defending well and making some big hits to lead the Devils to a close 25-21 win.

In the second set Eastbourne fought back with some strong serving and hitting, while the Devils struggled to get a good first ball into the setter limiting our attacking options.  Amy and Sabrina both played well front court with consistent hitting and had some early success hitting line, but in the end Eastbourne won 26-24.

Robyn came on in the third set and instantly started making a lot of noise on court, which helped lift the team along with her commitment to chase down the second ball (with a nice dive for thecameras!).   Em and Agata made a couple of blocks and Devils won the third set 25-21 before Eastbourne again came back to win the fourth set 25-19.

In the fifth set Emma lapping up the pressure put on her serving shoes(finally) and with the crowd (Thanks’ Sintija’s friends, Trees and Paula) cheering wildly served 8 points with 3 aces. Suddenly the Devils started playing with a bit of confidence and with big hitting from Sabrina and Sintija on any loose balls, Devils won the fifth 15-8.  Finally a visit to Market Dinner after a win, even if we didn’t get there until after 11!

Devils beat East Grindstead2

Devils were back in East Grinstead for the second Monday evening in a row.  This week against their second team.  We had Mel back on setting duties, but Trees, Sabrina and Agata were bunking off.  Sintija was captain, but couldn't maintain Trees' run of 7 correct calls on the trot.

The first couple of points went to EG but once Devils got the serve Amy stepped up and took us to 14 - 2 with some accurate fast serving.  The communication on court improved as the set went on and with good first balls in Mel was using all her attacking options. Gemma was running the middle well and Em was covering a lot of space back court.  The set finished 25 - 14.

The second set started well Em pulled off a text book pancake unfortunately the rest of the team had given up on that point!  Amy again was our most consistent server, with two runs of five points, but she was also covering the tip well and getting good balls into Mel.  Chantelle was hitting well with hits down the line and cross court and the team had a 100% side out rate in this set, winning 25 - 8.

All was looking good in the third for a comfortable 3-0 at 11-6 but Devils relaxed a little too much and EG rallied.  Mel though organised and motivated the Devils, along with putting in a couple of great passes when forced into the serve receive helping Devils hold their nerve at 23 - 23.  Gemma kept cool and served into the hole and deep down the line to win the game 25 - 23 and secure the first 3 - 0 victory for the Devils this season.  Let's hope we have a few more now!

Robyn took advantage of playing through opposite and four and maybe next time will get her wish to play through the middle.

Amy deservingly was awarded MVP.

Devils beat East Grinstead 3-1

Worthing travelled to East Grinstead1 who've picked up some good players in the off season and are a well organised team with powerful serves.  Devils had a full squad except for Mel which meant Robyn was setting throughout the match.

The team that played in the NL started, but were slow back court and weren't looking for the gaps when hitting.  They still had enough to win the set 25-23

Devils started the second set with the same team except Gemma came on for Sabrina.   Again they struggled back court, but Gemma played well especially front court when she put in some strong blocks.  However Devils just lost by 2 points.

It took till the third set before Devils found the motivation to start playing.  Tree's made some great pick ups (diving practice paying off) and was hitting intelligently mixing the power hits with rolls and tips into the gaps keeping EG unsure what to expect.  She was supported by Sintija and Chantelle who started hitting the lines and the holes in the defence.  Agata in only her second match back also started strongly covering well back court and putting EG under pressure with a good block.

In the fourth set Em and Robyn were linking up well running the short and Em clearly had the taste for it as she started killing lose first ball's over from back court "'ave it!".  Robyn won a joust at the net against a tall middle.  I'm not sure who was more surprised us or MVP Robyn.

Devils battle to a 3-2 victory

Devils had a full squad to face an experienced Brighton Adora team.  Worthing started brightly with good hitting from Chantelle and Trees and everyone was on their toes back court getting good first balls into Mel and covering the block.  Devils took an early lead, which they never looked like relinquishing.  They finished 25 – 14 winners following a run of 6 points on Sintija serve at 19-14.

Brighton came back in the next two sets with good play back court recycling the ball and slowly picked off the points to win 25 – 15 and 25 – 23 in a tense third set.

In the fourth set both teams started well but Devils kept their heads and started finding the holes.  Again Sintija had a strong service run of 8 points to give the Devils a 12 – 3 lead and with Chantelle covering a lot of court and making good use of the roll down the line Devils took the fourth set, making this their second five setter in two games.

Having won the last set Devils started the final set with the momentum in their favour and kept nosing in front only for Adora to pull level.  At 14-13 finally Chantelle (MVP) claimed the match winning hit.  To end a very good (if nerve racking for spectators) game of volleyball.

Special mention has to go to the spectators who got behind the team.  They helped create a great atmosphere giving the team a boost during some very tight sets.