Women’s Volleyball – Group B |28 August 2023

Seychelles’ Angelique Adeline finds her way through the Maldivian defence (Photo: Roland Duval)

Defending champions Seychelles glide past Maldives to win opening match

The Seychelles’ women volleyball selection started their quest to defend their Indian Ocean Islands Games title with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Maldives in the opening match in group B yesterday at the Ankatso Gymnasium in Antananarivo, Madagascar.

Clearly the favourites, Seychelles started the match on a high tempo, taking an early 13-6 lead, before extending it to 17-8, with their central block being the most effective weapon in their arsenal.

Seychelles kept attacking the Maldives, mainly through captain Petra Richard and Angelique Adeline who were unstoppable at the net.

Playing in front of First Lady Linda Ramkalawan and Sports Minister Marie-Celine Zialor, Seychelles extended their lead to 21-10, 23-12, before clinching the first set 25-12.

Having assessed the ability of the Maldivian selection in the first set, coach Julien Onezime decided to give playing time to his bench, allowing Maldives to step up their game in the second set, taking an early 6-3 lead which boosted their confidence.

They then made it 7-5, before the Seychelles selection put on their champions’ hat, tying the game at 8 points apiece. From then on, Seychelles took control of the match, taking a 15-10 lead, which was then extended to 17-12, before Maldives closed the gap, making it 19-16, then 21-20.

Not wanting to lose the set, coach Onezime sent in his starting six to finish the job at 25-21 for a 2-0 lead.

In the third set, Maldives, who were avoiding being whitewashed, put up some strong resistance, leveling at 15-15 before Seychelles regained a 20-15 lead.

Not giving up, the Maldivian selection kept fighting, closing the gap to 20-17, before Seychelles stepped up to lead 21-18.

Four more consecutive points were enough to give the defending champions the set 25-18 and the match 3-0.

Commenting on the match, coach Julien Onezime said Maldives were not a difficult opponent, he therefore allowed his bench players to be part of the win.

He said they will however take their next group match against Mauritius very seriously to top the group, making their way through the knockout stages smoother.

Roland Duval