The volleyball, which took place on the rightmost court in front of a crop of deeply invested supporters from both Posh and Poly, was a generally one-sided affair. Playing with the crowd behind them in the first set, Northumbria set the tone, establishing an early lead before allowing Newcastle to tie the game at seven points each, and again at 12-12. Northumbria ultimately took the first set by a narrow 25-23, yielding rapturous support from their supporters.
Newcastle got their own back in the second set, quickly taking care of business with a score of 14-25. That was the upper limit of their successes for the day, however, as Northumbria efficiently put the tie to bed, reclaiming their lead after a 25-16 victory in set three before putting the final nails in the coffin in set four, which was won 25-14, confirming Northumbria’s victory in the match.
The quality of Northumbria’s shot placement made the difference in the tie, as the Poly players consistently found and attacked the gaps in Newcastle’s defence, sending the visitors chasing shadows for long portions of the match. Sloppy play on Newcastle’s part did little to mitigate their opponent’s class, as they regularly lost points to miss-hit balls and serves sent out of bounds or into the net.
The Northumbria contingent relished the crowd’s support, fervently celebrating every point won with their followers.