The adventure of the National Cup has reached an end. Essex rebels beat IBB Polonia London.

The Team from IBB Polonia London lost in the semi-final of the National Cup. Despite winning the first set, the three subsequent sets went the way of Essex giving them the win and the ticket to the final.

The start of the match was dominated by Essex who were very pumped up at the start and took an early lead. Serve receive became a problem for the visitors behind five Essex players who stood in a lineup reminiscent of a free-kick wall in football! As a result the ball wasn’t able to be set to the dominant IBB Polonia middle and went to the same position all too often to be greeted by a well-form Essex block. In effect, this was the simplest of game plans throughout the match that proved very effective. Coach Niski called for a quick time out; this caused a reasonable change in fortunes and it was the home team who started to struggle. The set was anybody’s to win and in the end, it went the way of the IBB Polonia London.

“On Saturday we played in the semi final. Nothing went our way, right from the start. We started badly, but just managed to take the first set” said Coach Niski.

The two sets following that went the way of Essex Rebels. IBB Polonia made mistake after mistake and rarely managed an effective attack. The hosts were well-organised and outstanding in the block. In the fourth set IBB Polonia tried in every way to level the match up, but the final point was given away by a hit out through pipe. Niski’s team couldn’t get things together in what was described as „a bad day at the office”. In the end, it was Coach Porter’s team who danced on the court celebrating their win. It was they who came up with the goods and put together a dominant performance and took their place in the final.

“The second set started off well; we led 7-2, but then we gifted point after point to the opposition to trail 7-10. I tried some substitutions to try to make an impact and get back to our normal level of play, but nothing worked. It was our worst performance by a country mile. We thank our fans, but also apologise to them. They travelled in big numbers and never stopped their amazing support, but we underperformed. As Head Coach, I will do everything to ensure that there are only victories until the end of the season. I wish Essex the best of luck in the final” concluded Niski.

Soon there will be more volleyball for IBB Polonia London in the Super League. On the 11th of march in Northolt, we play the home game against table toppers Durham Palatinates. Everyone is invited to come along and cheer us along.