TN’s Super heroes feel just champion
TEAM Northumbria have confirmed their status as the kings and queens of Super 8s volleyball.
Britain’s most successful top -flight club celebrated another landmark weekend after four convincing victories on the road saw the men crowned champions and brought the women to within one point of repeating the feat.
TN’s women got the weekend off to a flying start, beating Birmingham in straight sets (25-10, 25-21, 25-15).
TN coach David Goodchild said: “London Orcas, the team we played on Sunday, are the second-best team in the league.
“We used the same offensive and defensive plan we were going to take into Sunday against Birmingham – we used it as sort of a practice game to get us ready and it was a comfortable victory.”
Saturday’s success moved TN towards a winning mindset as they breezed past the Orcas the next day - again winning 3-0 (25-14, 26-24, 25-16).
Goodchild added: “We played absolutely tremendously and it was some of the best attacking volleyball I have seen from our team this year.
“There were big performances from the girls - Samantha Cash was back from injury and is continuing to prove unstoppable.
“Elizabeth Dowd swung aggressively and the team bounced off her.
“As a programme, it was a super weekend for the girls.
“The wins leave us needing just one point from three games to win the league, which I am very confident we will do.”
The men’s weekend almost mirrored the successes of their female counterparts as they comfortably dispatched Richmond Docklands 3-1 on Saturday after a tough first set (16-25, 25-17, 25-17, 25-14).
TN went on to complete a celebratory weekend in the capital by beating Malory Eagles 3-0 (25-18, 26-24, 25-17) - cementing them as this season’s Super 8s champions.
TN assistant coach Paul Welsh said: “The most pleasing thing for me about the Malory game was how we started.
“After starting so slowly against Richmond the day before, we talked about what needed to be done to improve and we did it.
“It was a professional performance from the guys and rightfully they are now the Super 8s champions.”