The University of East London have won four out of four as they look to retain the Women’s Premier South title.
The University of Bristol visit SportsDock on Wednesday, with Bristol coming into the tie sitting 5th in the league and having won only one in five this season.
A win could see UEL move to 15 points, 12 points ahead of their challengers.
Bristol Build-Up
Team Coach Jefferson Williams looks ahead to the fixture:
“We have a few niggles and are likely to be without Saffron Betts who injured her ankle the day before the Oxford match. Madison Powell, our setter, has a back niggle at the moment and we are managing this. In addition, Morgan Lowenkamp injured her finger in the Oxford match but has continued to train.’’
The girls’ perfect start to the season sees them top of the Premier South. With a new look squad, Williams discusses team moral, and the importance of new Libero, Ariadne Sierra:
“It has been a great start, and to be honest it has gone better than we anticipated. We knew what to expect when we faced Team Essex and Team BU as we had played them before in pre-season tournaments. The win against Essex was particularly satisfying as they had beaten us on the two occasions that we played them in pre-season. On those occasions we were without our Libero Ariadne Sierra, who is proving to be a fantastic acquisition for us. The players are still settling and getting to know one another but winning does help to keep us focussed and is great for moral.’’
Competition For Selection
Williams is Head-Coach of National Volleyball League side Malory Eagles, as well as coaching the UEL girls. Joint training sessions fuel the players’ hunger as well as maintaining the players growth on the court:
“We tend to look at the performance ahead of the results and challenge the players to be better each time they are on the court. We remind the girls that we have established a level that we need to work to maintain. We try to keep things competitive in training, and the joint training sessions with Malory is a major bonus. Players all know that they are playing for selection to the NVL group and they relish the competition.’’
Home Advantage
After two away fixtures in a row, UEL return to SportsDock to play in front of a home crowd.
“It’s always good to play at home, if nothing else we are used to our environment. The fact that we don’t have to get up too early to travel is a big plus. There was good support for the Essex match a few weeks ago and we hope that the students will be there against Bristol on Wednesday.’’
Season Aspirations
After winning the Premier South consecutively for three years, the season goal is to secure the fourth title in a row:
“Yes, our aim is to retain the Southern Premier league Title and we have gone a long way to achieving this so far. The away fixture against Essex is likely to be a Title decider so we must be ready.’’
Wednesday’s match against Bristol is scheduled for a 13.30 start at SportsDock.
