The celebration following the final match is scheduled for 22 April, but there is a good chance that Erasmus Volleyball’s women’s teams will be able to cheer before that time. Last Thursday, in a reasonably packed Woudestein Sports Centre, the student team defeated V=Volley, 3-1. If its rivals fail to win by more than 3-2 and 3-1 this weekend, the Rotterdam-based team will win this year’s First Division A.
Update Monday 27 March: The nearest competitor has won Saturday’s match by 4-0. Therefore, Erasmus Volley has to wait a little longer to celebrate. They could become champions this weekend, depending on the results of their competitors. Or they will be celebrating on Thursday 6 April, during their next match in front of their home crowd.
Despite having been defeated a week earlier, Erasmus Volleyball clearly did not suffer any nerves due to title pressure. Thanks to excellent serves, the Rotterdam-based team won the first and third sets by a substantial margin, while winning the second one by a smaller margin (25-23). However, since ninth-ranked V=Volley won the final set, 25-19, Erasmus Volleyball only received four points, rather than the hoped-for five.
'Unnecessary'
“Unnecessary,” said team captain and Master’s student in Accounting & Auditing Lotte Witbreuk, 22, clearly unhappy. “We tried too hard to finish the match in style and made too many mistakes. Thankfully, we started the match very well, and our passing game just kept on getting better.”
Even if its rivals do not lose any points this week, Erasmus Volleyball will only have to win a grand total of two sets in its two remaining matches of the season. “We’re sure we’re going to make it,” Esmee Waaijer, a 22-year-old Hogeschool Rotterdam student, said self-confidently.
'More fun in front of a home crowd'
For this reason, the women’s team will not follow their rivals’ exploits this Saturday. “Most likely, I won’t check the app until Sunday, and who knows, it may tell me we are the champions,” said Waaijer. “Frankly, I hope not. It would be much more fun to grab the title on 6 April, in front of a home crowd. If not, we’ll just pretend we need to win another set to win the league.”
