Volleyball: Resilient Nemostars level playoff series

UVF National Volleyball League

Nemostars 3 Sport-S 2 (Nemostars level series 1-1)

Nemostars escaped the jaws of defeat against Sport-S when John Opolot changed the course of the match in the fifth set as the defending league champions won game two narrowly at the Lugogo Arena on Saturday.

The weekend encounter was very similar to what happened on Thursday after Sport-S took set one, and Nemostars then took set two and three. The former then came back in set four and looked set to take the tie and the match in the fifth before Opolot took charge in the 3-2 (23-25, 25-22, 25-23, 23-25, 15-13) win.

Nemostars had issues dealing with reception so Opolot who has barely featured in the playoffs was a second set substitute. With his introduction, the reception and attack improved and things were not as difficult.

His fifth set heroics were a class above the rest as setter Smith Okumu change tact and sent the ball his way when the defending champions were looking to come back from 12-9.

He served well and when the team needed an option in attack in the final two points he was the man cool under pressure giving them the set 15-13.

The two teams are set to fight it out in the decisive championship final where Sport-S aims to reduce the errors in their game.

"Actually I think in the final set where we needed it in reception we hesitated and they scored those two points. It is game three we just have to work on the errors and play our game," Sport-S captain Dickens Otim said.