Cambridge University Women’s Volleyball Club (CUWVC) clinched only their second set against Oxford in two-and-a-half years at the University Sports Centre on Wednesday evening, during a hard-hitting, jaw-splitting encounter that saw the Light Blues fall to a spirited 3-1 loss.

Despite eventually going down to the league leaders, there were times where the rapidly-evolving Light Blues squad was bursting with acrobatic blocks and penetrating spikes to reveal glimpses of volleyball at its electrifying best. And while their 27-25 second set victory left little bearing on the result, it was far from trivial as the home side demonstrated the extent of their rapid progress.

Indeed, for a side verging on a majority of new players, facing virtual volleyball virtuosos who had finished 1st in the BUCS Premier South division last season, whom they have not beaten since 2013, the performance will count as a undoubted success.

“It was a very good match, especially when we turned around the second set. This shows how much potential we have as a team when believe in ourselves and refuse to give up,” Maya Wright, the Light Blues' captain and chemistry PhD student, claimed afterwards.

“We still have a few technical things to work on like defending middle attacks and blocking, but we already saw improvement in our major issue which was serve-receive,” she added. “We have a talented bunch of girls and I am confident that we will be successful this season.”

The outstanding set turned upon a gutsy service spell by Heather Rigby, more than justifying her promotion from the second team this season. Resolute rearguard action and varied attacks helped CUWVC defend three set points at 24-21 down to level the score.

Few meetings between these Varsity rivals, whatever the event, could compete with the intensity that followed in sudden death. Neither side displayed obvious weaknesses in a series of grueling rallies under the greatest of pressure. Every punch and block over the net appeared to carry the force of a physical blow, before the Light Blues lodestar Alizée Pace eventually provided the knockout attack.

“There were moments when we all played in complete harmony, which is impressive for a squad with so little time to get to know each other.” Pace, a natural sciences fresher playing her third game, enthused.

The Light Blues consolidated their dominance for much of the third set, streaking away to a 19-13 advantage. The hosts lost concentration, however, at the crucial stage and allowed Oxford to fulfil their table-topping potential. Their opponents set up and prevailed in another close finish from 21-21, playing with an almost arrogant degree of energy and pulverising the ball on every spike.

Christ’s undergrad makes international beach volleyball debut

“We can be proud of the way we fought for every single ball and there were moments when we played really well,” said Weronika Wrzos-Kaminska, a first-year maths student who showed her Norwegian elite league prowess with several point-blank blocks.

“I was disappointed by our mental attitude because it felt as though we gave up towards the end,” she admitted. “Overall we did a good job.”

Although CUWVC continued to score regularly, the match slipped away as morale plummeted in the fourth, ultimately final, set. Oxford, meanwhile, protected every ball as if it were porcelain and deserved to leave with their third successive league victory.

Nevertheless, the fixture gave valuable experience to a number of Light Blue debutants, including Anna Suchánková, another natural sciences fresher. “Everyone on the team supported each other well but we need to keep up our concentration and take a responsibility for the ball when others make mistakes,” she concluded.

“We are still getting used to play with each other, since there are a lot of new faces on the team including myself, and we will only get better over the course of the season. We are going to smash them next time.”

The Light Blues will have an opportunity to exact revenge on the Dark Blues when Oxford return to the University Sports Centre for the Varsity match in February. And in light of their fast-improving performances, it is no illogical to suggest that they have every chance of claiming victory.

CUWVC: Gibson, Wright (c), Wrzos-Kaminska, Pace, Suchankova, Neun, Rigby, Bellamy, Smyrilli, Baldrighi, Fallow, Bird