Dolphins shrug off Thunders

RAUKELE Dolphins  shrugged off a late comeback by Black Thunders to win 3-1 in the women’s division of the Fairfax volleyball competition at the Taurama Leisure Centre on Sunday.
The Dolphins had the upperhand with a mother-daughter combination up front through Martha and Josie Dick.
Martha was alert since the first set, placing the ball smoothly for power hitters –  daughter Josie and teammate Hazel Ruga.
Both lasses kept the onslaught going throughout the game and continued smashing points through to the third set and the decider.
In the first set, Dolphins won 25-10 without putting in much effort while in the second the Black Thunders’ came back fighting but still did not have enough firepower against the Dolphins, who took the set 25-20.
Black Thunders knew that the only chance to keep them in the game was to take the third set.
A lot of hard-hitting and show of class was unveiled as the Black Thunder girls  tried to tangle the Dolphins and take the game to five sets but mistakes kept popping up with their lack of solid defence and netting of the ball during service deliveries.
However, the Dolphins’ front liners Josie and Hazel worked on the flanks with hard hitting and the vital blocks while Martha directed play successfully to give the Dolphins a narrow 25-21 win to claim the third and victory.
Their clean win enhance their running this season and already the ladies are proving a handful on the courts.