Tendring went into their first home fixture of the season full of confidence following their back to back wins the previous weekend. As ever Tendring had strong home support with over 60 people present at Tendring Teccnology College and a further 180 people watching via the live stream (available at www.tendringvolleyball.com).
Tendring made a sluggish start to the first set and quickly went 3 points behind. However it did not take long for Tendring to find their rhythm and some clever hitting from Dacey and Guimond saw Tendring take the lead at the first technical timeout. A combination of tactical serving and solid block defence saw Tendring take the first set 25-20.
During the second set Tendring continued to look strong and they quickly built up a 5 point lead. A solid performance from the passing unit allowed setter Davies to find his hitters with ease and both Chilcoat and Dove took full advantage with some powerful hitting. Tendring never really looked in any danger and they were able to maintain that 5 point lead winning the second set 25-20.
During the third set coach Porter made two changes giving first team debuts to both 16 year old TTC student Nash and Essex University student Rhodes. Harriers started the third set with a series of big points and Tendring were certainly feeling the pressure. A strong service run from Harriers meant it was difficult for tendring to find a rhythm and they were behind at both the first and second technical timeout. A strong service run by Dacey and excellent hitting from Chilcoat brought Tendring right back in it giving them match point in a tense finish to the set. Unfortunately Dove failed to convert the match point and two Tendring errors followed allowing Harriers to take the set 26-24.
The fourth set saw Tendring return to their starting six from the first two sets. However Harriers buoyed by their unlikey comeback in the third set were full of confidence. Tendring were unable to cope with the pressure applied by the opposition and a series of clever Harriers hits and Tendring errors saw them take the fourth set comfortably 25-19.
Coach Porter made one change for the fifth set decider with Yiannakkos replacing Dacey. The impressive Yiannakkos made an immediate impact with a powerful hit through the outside giving the home fans something to cheer. A combination of strong serving from Chilcoat and powerful middle attacks from Lawrence and Guimond saw Tendring take an early 4 point lead. Harriers and Tendring continued to trade points giving Tendring 4 match points. Some excellent Harriers block defence ensured a nervous finish as they managed to save two match points however they could do nothing to stop Yiannakkos who won the game with a devastating line shot. MVP was awarded to Chilcoat
After the game coach Porter said "Both physically and technically I don't think many in this league can compete with us. It was disappointing to see the game go this close as it was ultimately our errors that let them back into the game. However I was really pleased with the reaction from the players once we went to a fifth set. They showed real character to comeback and maintain our unbeaten record"
Next up for Tendring is a tough cup fixture away to London Docklands who are arguably one of the strongest teams in country. The next league fixture sees Tendring take on Black Country on November 7th, 12:30pm at Tendring Tecnology College Frinton campus.