Volleyball second team succeed in Kent

UEL’s volleyball second string came back from Kent University with the Bucs South East 2B points after a winning start to the new season.

With a host of new recruits for 2014-15, UEL were firm favourites and from the warm-up it was evident the match was their’s to lose.

UEL started well and had a four-point advantage before the first time-out, after which the sides traded points in the first set.

Konrad Fraszczyk, UEL’s opposite player, managed to increase the lead to 12-4 after serving three aces and setter Dominik Motylewski increased that to 17-5 with very good sets to the middle and outside.

Motylewski continued his domination by acing Kent twice, increasing the lead to the astonishing 20-8 with Fraszczyk ending the first set with an ace to Kent’s struggling receiving line.

The second set started with a change in formation as UEL coach Miroslav Gospodinov swapped middle player Darius Grigas with Gustavo Vieira, who was outside hitter for the first set.

And after a few early errors Grigas combined with outside hitter Damian Andrzejewski, with their jump serves proving impossible for Kent to defend.

UEL led 8-6 at the first technical break and were 13-10 up before libero Gervaise Bynoe scored five points without reply.

Good work by their middle blockers allowed UEL to close out the set 25-14 and they began the third with the same line-up, as Andrzejewki made an explosive start with three jump serve aces helping to build a 6-1 lead.

Kent hit back with five unanswered points midway through the set, as UEL suffered a shaky period, but a quick timeout from coach Gospodinov settled the visitors down.

Refocused, they put pressure on Kent’s server and Grigas nailed a counter-attack down the line to clinch a 3-0 sets win.