UEL Women’s Volleyball first team comfortably defeated Oxford University 3-0 at SportsDock on Wednesday. The Blues made short work of beating their opponents for the second time this season, as they overcame the visitors in less than an hour.
UEL recorded 25-10, 25-17 and 25-12 victories, picking up another three points as they journey towards a fourth consecutive Premier South title.
The first team were in action at SportsDock for the second consecutive week and picked up right where they had left off, winning the first game in a professional manner as they were simply too good for Oxford.
In Pictures: UEL Volleyball Teams Chasing For The Title
Continual Threat
Arela Williams hit an ace, as the opposition failed to deal with her serve in the opening stages. UEL were well organised in the first game, forcing the visitors into mistakes as they rushed into a lead.
Katerina Boletou elegantly lifted the ball over a defender to secure a point after brilliantly anticipating the flight of the ball.
Oxford withstood several waves of pressure but were unable to find an answer to UEL’s wide play. Outside hitter Francesca Smith-Daye looked a threat every time she moved towards the flank.
The home side possessed real quality with Shantell Arnold looking solid in the centre of UEL’s defensive line. Morgan Lowenkamp and Boletou chipped in with vital points as UEL looked to wrap up the opening game.
Arnold’s ace put UEL a point away from the first game, before Malden served out of play for Oxford which handed UEL the first set.
Sloppy Seconds
The visitors will have enjoyed the second set more than the first as UEL began to make mistakes. With the traditional swapping of ends, UEL would not have envisioned the opening stages as errors saw the scores level at 8-8.
A stoppage in play allowed coach Jefferson Williams to gather his players and ploy a fresh approach, with UEL looking focused as they got things back underway. The girls improved in the latter stages, going on to take the second set.
Finishing Touches
UEL wrapped up the points taking the third and final set 25-12. A much-improved period from UEL saw less mistakes as they marched on to tie up a professional victory.
Powell set Lowenkamp as UEL claimed the first point and raced into a 10-1 lead. Ailsa McDonald and Arnold picked up important points for UEL, before Boletou sealed the match after smashing the ball into the ground.
Big Battle
UEL are back at SportsDock again next Wednesday where they will host Bournemouth in their penultimate match of the season.
The match is scheduled to commence at 13:00 and will be the girls final match before the Christmas period, before completing the season away to Cambridge on the 23rd January.
Line-Ups
UEL:
Ailsa McDonald, Alvie Co, Annie Boele, Arela Williams, Ariadne Sierra, Eleftheria Katsampouni, Francesca Smith-Daye, Katerina Boletou, Madison Powell, Morgan Lowenkamp, Shantell Arnold, Peyton McDaniel, Saffron Betts.
Oxford:
J. Shenk, D. Malden, P. Kolancali, A. Piacenti, E. James, S. Askew, J. Weil, C. Zhou, B. Okuda, J. Chen, A. Von Gotz, L. James.
