Series Leader Engelholm Deals GVK Another Loss

On Sunday, Gislaved Volleyboll Klubb traveled south to Ängelholm focused on having a good match. Despite maintaining their focus, elitseries-leader Engelholm dealt Gislaved another loss.

Gislaved's Sanna Schultz (11) led the team with 16 points (12 kills, 3 blocks, 1 ace) 

It will not be Gislaved who gives Engelholm their first loss of the series, but at start of the match it appeared that the 8th-ranked GVK would give EVS a run for their money.

“I was concerned that we would look a little rusty after a long break, but we did not,” says coach Dick Runesson.

Lauren Rafdal (3) & Lisa Tannerfalk (9) gave GVK 2 blocks each against EVS

In the first set, GVK led 21-19 causing a shaky EVS to call a time out. What was said there is known only by those in the huddle, but it was obviously something good as Engelholm returned to the court, taking six straight points and the set 21-25.

“Engelholm put a lot of serve pressure on us. One thing leads to another and we make some unfortunate mistakes.”

Again in the second set, GVK led up to 14-14, but after more Gislaved unforced errors, Engelholm took control.

“Our mistakes really do a lot of damage. We begin to doubt ourselves, and the results suffer,” says Runesson.

But Engelholm’s average age is 20.4 and the league’s average age is 23.6?

“Experience is not only age-based. It is more about the total playing time over a lifetime.”

Engelholm also won the third set, securing the match.

The focus of GVK before the game was to do good actions, which the team did, says Dick Runesson.

“Honestly, I think we did a lot of positive things today. We stood up well [against the top team] and I think that we could have taken any set today, if we had managed to play the whole way through. But this was a really good workout before the upcoming matches.”

What did you learn?

“That we have to cope with being more consistent in our play. It bothered me that we were not [that] today.”

On Wednesday Gislaved has a chance to see if the training has given effect when they play Hylte/Halmstad at home.

GVK (purple) 30 kills, 8 blocks, 3 aces
EVS (blue) 51 kills, 3 blocks, 4 aces