Setter Rachael Yardley in action for Tauranga at the National Club Volleyball Championships in Auckland. Photo / Supplied
Setter Rachael Yardley in action for Tauranga at the National Club Volleyball Championships in Auckland. Photo / Supplied
Tauranga women survived a mighty fightback by 2011-12 champions Manukau South to narrowly prevail in a five-set thriller at the National Club Volleyball Championships in Auckland on Saturday.
Tauranga looked composed and organised as they took the first two sets comfortably in the replay of the 2012 and 2011 women'sfinals, with setter Nicole Yardley distributing the ball well to her attacking strike forces Simone Head and captain Lisa Claassen.
However, the experienced Manukau South pairing of setter Pogai Falemai and hitter Margaret Lafaele led third and fourth set counterattacks by the Auckland side, with the whole team showing greater urgency and determination to tie the match up and force a fifth-set tiebreaker.
When Manukau South went to a narrow lead early in the tie-breaker, the champions were in the box seat for a third straight title, but the halfway change of ends saw Tauranga overhaul their opponents on the back of a more varied attack including some effective hitting from Stephanie Pierce, with the Bay of Plenty team surging to matchpoint at 14-12.
Some great serving and hitting by Lafaele at this point brought the Aucklanders back into the game, tieing the scores at 14-14, before both teams played nervously in scrambled rallies that Tauranga got the better of to win 16-14.
The Nelson men's team had struggled in their earlier semifinal to shake off 2012 runners-up Sparta in a five-setter, but were much more clinical in their final against Harbour Raiders to take out the match three sets to nil.
Tauranga Club were the most successful club overall at the championships, with the men's team winning silver in the 2nd Division, going down to Hamilton in the final, while the young women's B team came through to claim bronze, also in the 2nd Division.
Mauao men performed very creditably in their first-ever tilt at the championships, finishing fifth in the men's 1st division and taking eventual champions Nelson to five sets during section play.
