2nd Ahoghill Company Section travelled into Ballymena for the opening round of this year’s Ballymena Battalion volleyball competition.
The matches were hosted by 1st Ballymena, with 4th Ballymena and 1st Portglenone our other opponents.
Each match was best of three games, with each game played to 15 points.
Match 1 – 1st Ballymena
Our opening match was a difficult encounter with our hosts. The boys struggled to settle into the match and were overwhelmed by the quality of 1st Ballymena’s serving, losing the first game 15-5.
Ahoghill mustered a handful of good rallies in the second game and held their own during open play, but again 1st Ballymena dominated with their serves to win the game 15-4, and inflict defeat on us.
Match 2 – 1st Portglenone
Ahoghill started confidently, with a string of excellent serves from Daniel giving us a comfortable lead. Portglenone responded with some good rallies but our boys played as a team to seal a 15-6 victory in the first game.
The second game was a lot tighter, as both teams battled for points in open play. William secured an excellent point as he rushed cross court to return a ball destined for a gap in our formation. After an encouraging team display, the boys from Ahoghill won the game 15-12 and claimed their first victory of the night.
Match 3 – 4th Ballymena
Our final match started very evenly, with both teams enjoying spells of success. However the boys from Highkirk gradually began to edge ahead, eventually winning the first game 15-6.
The second game also started a close fought affair, with the points going back and forth between the teams. But again, 4th Ballymena took control to win 15-6, and hand us our second defeat of the night.
Congratulation to 1st Ballymena for topping the group, we wish you well in the next stage of the competition. Despite the disappointing result, the boys played well and can take the experience into next year’s competition.
| Company | Won | Lost |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Ballymena | 3 | 0 |
| 4th Ballymena | 2 | 1 |
| 2nd Ahoghill | 1 | 2 |
| 1st Portglenone | 0 | 3 |