Northumbria Retain National Cup

Team Northumbria Women’s Volleyball retained the National Cup after a nailbiting final against a lively London Orcas.

And Dave Goodchild’s side will now focus on yet another domestic treble as they seek to add the Super 8s playoff title to their regular season crown.

TN won 3-2 in a keenly contested showpiece clash at Kettering’s National Volleyball centre.

And head coach Goodchild admitted Orcas had the better of the early exchanges after a flying start.

“Early on they came out and they took very calculated risks,” he aaid. “They were a very aggressive team and a very big team with a lot of experience, so we knew we were in for a tough game.

“During the second set we didn’t play well. Again, they put us under constant pressure and they fought hard continuing to take risks and swing aggressively. But real credit to them, they worked really hard.”

Goodchild admitted TN were forced to change their original gameplan to counter Orcas’ all-action approach.

“We didn’t carry out the gameplan that we originally set out to,” he added. “But one thing I said to the girls at the very beginning was even if we have to go down to plan F, we will win this game and I think we got to plan F!

“We had to go right around the squad to find our best options. The starting team was very different to our finishing team and our offence changed and our defence changed but we got there.”

After an injury-ravaged spell Magda Ropiak came back and picked up the Most Valuable Player award in the 2017 final.

And it was Ropiak, along with Paige Fullerton, who were the standout players for Goodchild.

“After we lost the second set we made a couple of changes and brought Paige Fullerton in,” added TN’splaycaller. “She was fantastic. She’s a young England international, she’s only in her second year but between her and Magda, they turned the game around.

“That’s not to take credit away from any of the other players because they all worked so hard.

“I’m absolutely delighted with how they all played and, of course, with the end result. To be National Cup champions again feels fantastic.”

TN will take a well-deserved break this week before getting straight back into training for the semi-finals of the Super 8s.