Sparta prove too strong

Northland volleyball men's and women's teams hosted iconic Auckland club Sparta at Kamo High School, for the first round of home games in the Northern Zone League.
The Northland A men surprised on Saturday when they won their first set, with solid play from setter Kerry Prohl and good service pressure on the receivers from Scott McDonald. The young talent in the team stepped up and didn't let the older Sparta team intimidate them.
However, the national champions, containing present and former national representatives, switched on for the remaining sets and dominated play to win 1-3.
Earlier on the day, the Northland men's development side went down 0-3 to what was essentially the B team - rather than a development team - for Sparta. The team comprised older, "been- there, done-that" players, who were still very good and the Northland youngsters struggled.
Northland women showed plenty of potential in their first hit out of the season, despite losing 0-3 to Sparta. Sparta women were a dynamic young side, and dominated the Northland team, who have the skills but struggled to put it all together on Saturday.
Northland outside hitter Tamara Hemara, from Wellsford, added height to the team, while Erin McCulloch strengthened the side with her insight.
Meanwhile, Northland women's development team had a 3-0 win over their counterparts from Sparta giving the Northland contingent something to celebrate.
Northland are contesting the Northern Zone League, who will eventually play crossover matches against Central Zone and Southern Zone, vying for a spot in the National Championships in August.