Having the luxury of leaving a day before game us a chance to get in late night, which we all quickly found our beds and were able to get a great night of sleep. Arriving at the hall before the match against Saimaa, you could just feel the energy about the newly acquired Jenkki, Matt Proper. The fans were quick to pack the hall, getting a seat before warmups, to see what their new foreigner had to offer and the buzz only intensified. With each warm up swing, there was "ooooos" and "ahhhhs" with Proper rising head and shoulders above the tape, the mystic had now become a reality and curiosity was becoming confidence with each swing of the Jenkki.
Confidence and our ability to extend the rally, lead us to taking the first two matches at the expense of the home team. Even though we came out focus and determined to close the match, Saimaa's young position 6 player, Eetu Pennanen gave them his team a spark and lead them with his aggressive swings and constant determination in the back row. Play after play, it became contagious with Proper becoming more of a weapon not only at the net but with his blistering serve, continually putting pressure on us as passers.
Saimaa fans had the feeling going into the 5th game, confident, energetic and loud, fueling their team to a comeback win. The momentum, swung back and forth, no one able to grasp it, even after going up 5-2 to start the game, Saimaa came roaring back much to the delight of their fans, taking the lead at 12-11. Dangling the one point lead, it became a sideout battle, with both of the setters, finding the right attacked at the right time, until Saimaa finally was able to find match point at 14-13. With the whole gym set a blaze with emotion and the feeling that they would go home with 2 points and a win, Duncan and Ossi took it upon themselves to take the team on their backs, siding out on 4 consecutive game points. Then, finally it was our turn, serving for match point, in a suddenly near silent hall. Having a feeling they would turn to Eetu, Ossi made the switch with Puputi to block the right side. The set was high and tight, which was no problem for the flying youngster but Ossi was able to match the jump, controlling the hit to area 6 and with the hard work came the reward, Puputti flying in giving Ossi a perfect set to the area 2 position where he was able to sneak it pass Eetu, sealing the match and sending our bench on the court to meet the rest of the team and Ossi, flying around the hall. It was a great match for us, with all the energy surrounding Proper's debut and especially with the level he played at, it felt great leaving the gym with a big road win.
Both Janis were instrumental to our success this weekend, leading with their energy
Next up, Muurame, a team that has improved greatly from last year, surging to the top of the league standings, one of the big reasons being their dominance at home, going undefeated, up until our Sunday match. With a much different look then last year, they were great at controlling the tempo, prolonging rallies, passing great and able to terminate the ball when they had to, jumping out and stealing the 1st game. Then it was our turn, after trading points, we were able to win a huge rally, mostly due to Henri making a huge save out of the net and putting up a perfect area 6 ball, leaving it for Garret to bury, silencing the crowd. From that hustle play from Henri, lead to another by Duncan, then a great run down my Garret, transferring all the momentum to our side, leading us to not only take the 2nd game but the 3rd heavily, winning 25-19. Confident and ready to close out the match, Muurame's middle Jaako went on a serving spree, one that would last leaving the score 10-2 in favor of the home team, through a couple of substitutes putting Tuomas in for Ossi and switching the Jani's we were able to make strides but it was too little too late, as the home team took the 4th set 25-15 with all the momentum on their side.
Refocused and able to regain our breath after such a lopsided 4th game, we faced yet Jaako's serve again to begin the match and we never looked back, siding out off his first serve. From there on our two middles, in Sammi and Henri, took it upon themselves to make sure, we would leave with 2 points and handing Muurame their first lost of the year. Sammi, newly brought up from Parma has played an important role for us but leading to the week he knew that he had to make sure he could contribute from the end line, with his float serve. Struggling and frustrated all week throughout practice, he worked and worked and worked with his serve, determined to find it, which he did serving 8 straight points in the 5th set, giving us a 10-2 advantage. It didn't come without help though, knowing Henri close now for almost 2 years, I know he thrives off pressure and prides himself on his ability to help the team when they need it most, stuffing a monstrous attack their middle Silva, which lead to an even bigger block to the left side of the court, only to find himself again against Silva, controlling it perfect to our area 6 digger, to yet another point. Muurame, eventually sided out but it was too little too late as we were able to finish the match with a lopsided 15-6, which wasn't indicative to the great volleyball that Muurame had played all night. Leaving the gym, yet again was a great feeling, we came together for the 2nd night when it mattered most, even though different individuals had more impact then others, we played hard and played for each other throughout both nights, seeing our hard and demanding practices turn into wins.
On the road, we had a lot of time of our own and knowing the casual fan, maybe even the closest fan to Loimu, might not have a sense of the trips, the players or what goes on within the team, I thought it would be a good idea to give a little sneak peak of Loimu volleyball, through the youngest players on the team Tuomas Koppanen and Markus Kaurto.
Both have had a great affect on our team, coming quick off the bench and playing to a high standard but more importantly challenging the gym everyday in practice. Both only 18, they still have a lot of time to grow to become great volleyball players, even though I think they will make an impact not only in the Finnish SM but the international arena, sooner then later. Hope you enjoy and see you all at Kertulla Saturday, for more great Loimu volleyball.
Until next time,
Dustin (Jenkki #1)
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