Sunday 29th April, 5.45 p.m. The stage was set for a battle of epic proportions, in this, the final to end all volleyball finals.
Both teams have proved that they were deserving of their place in the final, after a hard-fought IMS Volleyball campaign, highlighted by the intense silence that preceded the match.
With the first set the match was on, with Rutherford drawing first blood in the nervous early points, putting into practice well-versed communication to get an early lead.
Faraday however, were not to be phased by the tour-de-force that was the opposition and were the epitome of patience, playing a very effective defensive game.
Faraday were clearly waiting for Rutherford to make mistakes and exploit gaps, as opposed to Rutherford’s attacking and explosive game, but it was a tactic that was clearly paying off with the half-time score being 26-18 to Faraday.
Despite this deficit, Rutherford came out in the second half more hungry and determined than ever and started aggressively with some intimidating net play and some gloriously desperate defensive play with more limbs flying around than an inbred octopus.
However, Faraday’s tactic remained largely unchanged with some solid defence and some brilliantly opportunistic attacking play, exploiting the few holes in Rutherford’s defence.
Overall though, it was the calculated and practiced Faraday side that won the day, albeit with a lead that did not increase over the second half, highlighting the determination of the Rutherford team. The final score was 59-51 with Faraday claiming the IMS Volleyball title.
