Champions Flow Sentry Brokers Deacons scored a come-from-behind five-set win over Brydens Rockets to move within four points of retaining the Goddard Enterprises Limited Division 1 women’s volleyball league crown when the action continued on Wednesday night at the Wildey Gym.
Six-footers Fabia Greaves and Abeje Carrington pulled Deacons from a first-set loss and an 11-13 hole in the decider to launch the champions to their seventh win in a row, 18-25, 25-23, 25-18, 23-25, 15-13. Deacons are on a maximum 35 points with three games in hand.
Shari Matthews and Katrina Wickham had piloted the Rockets to the verge of scoring an upset that would have kept alive their hopes of overhauling the champions. The Rockets are on 29 points with two games in hand and little room to catch Deacons.
Also out of contention are PanAmerican Insurance International Warrens in spite of their 25-15, 23-25, 25-18, 25-15 win over Club United. Warrens, who have three games in hand, are on 22 points. Mathematically, Warrens and the Rockets would need to win all of their remaining matches and hope that Deacons lose all of theirs in straight sets.
That is unrealistic, as the Rockets and Warrens must battle each other on the October 15, while Deacons will face lightweights Carlton and Toners after meeting Warrens on Sunday.
On Wednesday night Matthews and Wickham attacked with potency which hinted of an upset, particularly with Matthews targeting Deacons’ Mona Crawford with some scorchers which knocked Crawford to the floor on two occasions. However, the defence of Deacons and their counter tilted the game in their favour as the Rockets’ supporting cast failed to deliver at critical times.
Down two sets to one, the Rockets suffered a scare in the fourth set at 22-19 when Matthews attempted to jump for a spike and the damaged tiles at the Gym slipped away leaving the attacker flat on her back. The game was held up for over 15 minutes as Deacons’ coaches Andrew Culpepper and Elwyn Oxley along with referee Adrian Harewood went around the Gym seeking better pieces of tiles to repair the court. (KB)
