OPERATION "Hengelo Hunt"

Commando's log: Saturday, 7 February 2026 - Mission Passed

Filed by TheLaW

After two losses to start the year, it was time.
Time to reset.
Time to remind ourselves who we are.

But the enemy had no intention of making it easy.

Set 1 — The 36-Point War

We stepped onto the battlefield thinking this would be routine. We had beaten them before. Why wouldn’t we do it again?

That confidence lasted only a few rallies.

The enemy had grown stronger, sharper, tougher. They pulled out moves that woke us up fast. What we thought would be simple turned into a fight for survival. And so we fought. Past 25 points we fought. Into deep waters we fought.

At one stage we were trading points like heavy blows. Neither side willing to surrender. Then they identified their advantage: their middle blocker. They kept feeding him, and it was working.

So we adjusted.

If the middle was their weapon, then the middle would be ours to shut down. And when the moment came — one monstrous block silenced their momentum. That single wall of resistance shifted the energy just enough.

We closed the set at 36 points.
A war won. Not a battle, a war.

Set 2 — The Collapse

Instead of riding that momentum, we stumbled.

Maybe fatigue set in. Maybe focus slipped. Maybe the emotional toll of the first set drained us. Whatever it was, the enemy came out fired up, more energized by losing than we were by winning.

They bullied us.

We couldn’t pass clean. We couldn’t finish attacks. Chief made changes to spark life back into the unit, but the enemy returned to their trusted middle blocker and exploited us again.

This time, we had no answer.

Set lost.

Set 3 — Back to Work

By the third set, rest time was over. The commandos returned to duty.

We identified our go-to scorers and fed them consistently. Structure returned. Communication sharpened. The enemy still fought hard. You could see how badly they wanted it. But this time our execution was stronger.

We absorbed the pressure and responded with control.

Set secured.

Set 4 — Controlled Domination

Now momentum was ours.

And this time, we didn’t waste it.

Just as they had bullied us in the second set, we returned the favor in the fourth. Our serves applied pressure. Our defense held steady. Our attacks landed clean.

There was no dramatic ending this time — just controlled dominance.

And with that, we secured our first victory of 2026.

Final Debrief

One hard-earned reminder of who we are.

Back to winning ways.
Back to discipline.
Back to belief.

The campaign continues.

– TheLaW, signing off