Mayo stun Longford ladies with gritty five-set win
The Mayo team with supporters after their win against Longford. Back row, from left: Arron Hughes (coach), Mikal O’Boyle, Amy Breslin, Meta Alisauskaite, Ellena Coffey, Aine Joyce (captain), Shauna McGearty, Kevin Concannon (coach). Front row, from left: Ana Posaric, Roisin Murray, Aine Treanor, Nikola O’Halloran.
Volleyball: Mayo Volleyball Club produced a superb away performance to defeat a previously unbeaten Longford side in a dramatic five-set league encounter on Sunday, handing the home team their first loss — and first dropped sets — of the season.
Table toppers Longford, who had won all of their matches to date in straight sets, started strongly and comfortably took the opening set 25–11 as Mayo struggled with early mistakes. However, MVC regrouped impressively and showed real character to claw their way back into the contest.
The second and third sets followed a similar pattern, with Mayo finding their rhythm through tough serving, strong front-row hitting from Nikola O’Halloran and Ellena Coffey, and excellent defensive work from Meta Alisauskaite. MVC took both sets convincingly, 25–20 and 25–15, to put themselves in control.
Momentum briefly swung back to the home side in the fourth set, where Mayo’s energy dipped and Longford capitalised to level the match with a 25–13 win.
The decisive fifth set saw Mayo rise once more. A strong serving run from Ellena Coffey, combined with disciplined defence and high energy from the entire team, put Longford under sustained pressure. Frustration crept into the home side’s play, and Mayo closed out the match 15–10 to secure an impressive 3–2 victory away from home.
