Cobras beat Ballymun

February 28, 2012

Naas Cobras Volleyball


Naas Cobras Premier Volleyball team are breathing a sigh of relief after they pulled off a narrow win against Ballymun this weekend.   It took the Cobras a nail biting five sets to clinch victory at the hands of the Dubliners.   Naas, who were playing away, took the first set extremely comfortably 25-16 with a solid display of volleyball.   Setter Kate Ryan lined up her hitters well to allow the Cobras attack well at the net.   Ballymun struggled defensively and the first set was over quite quickly.   Naas however got a shock in the second set when Ballybum began fighting back.   After a sluggish first set, the Dubliners found their feet and began chasing points. Unforced errors from Naas allowed Ballymun take the lead 8-6.   Naas came back with good serving from wing player Claire Walsh to bring the score to 15-15.   But Ballymun were determined to win the set and Naas helped them along with more silly mistakes. The second set finished 25-22 to Ballymun.   It was now Naas who had to dig deep after a shaky second set. The Cobras upped their attack with hitters Debbie Murray and Lisa Rohan piling on the pressure with their strength.   The Cobras took an early lead 10-7 and managed to maintain it throughout the set.   Captain Emily Ryan added more points to the score board with good serving and Naas closed out the third set 25-20.   The fourth set started well for the Cobras. Libero player Aoife Carroll scooped up balls in defence and it looked like Naas were finally coasting to victory.   However, the away side had a comfortable15-8 lead when things started to go wrong. A momentarily lapse of concentration cost them dearly and all of a sudden it was 17-17.   At this stage, Ballymun were on a role and they went on to take the fourth set 25-21.   It was now two sets apiece with everything to play for. Naas were determined to leave the hall with a win and went into the fifth set with all guns blazing.   Impressive hitting from Lisa Rohan allowed the players to relax and take an early lead 6-3. Further strong hitting from Claire Walsh let Naas capitalise on this advantage and they began to pull away from a tired Ballymun.   Naas won the fifth set 15 -11 and hence the match. The Cobras were ecstatic with the hard fought win. They now lie fourth in the League heading into next weekend’s match against table toppers Aer Lingus.     Team: Emily Ryan (c), Kate Ryan, Claire Walsh, Claire Treacy, Debbie Murray, Aoife Carroll, Lisa Rohan, Fabiola Souza, Stephanie Grogan, Sarah Benn, Heather Clancy,Coaches: Marie Sheridan, Orla McElroy