AVL Round 7

Men’s Matches
Phoenix vs Heat
Match 1 1-3 (25-19, 15-25, 12-25, 19-25)
Match 2 0-3 (16-25, 19-25, 19-25)

The Phoenix went into round 7 needing two wins to knock Canberra Heat out of finals and take their spot at finals on the Gold Coast. The first set saw strong reception from Ben Genenger and a great offence run by Jake Lewkowicz to allow Tim Taylor and Sean Bosschieter to unleash their big hitting from both sides of the court. A good service run by Sean Bosschieter, where the Phoenix block was too much for Heat captain Andre Borgeaud, gave the boys from NSW the first set 25-19 and looked like they were in a good position to run away with the match.

The Heat stepped out onto the court for the second set and brought with them a renewed focus and their serve and block became too aggressive for the Phoenix boys and Canberra re-took control of the match securing the second set 25-15 and the third 25-12. Knowing the season was on the line the Phoenix had to find something special in the fourth set to keep the dream alive. Improved reception and serve helped keep he game alive, but the block and side out of the Heat offence had too much size and experience led by Travis Passover, eventually running away with the set 25-19 and winning the match 3-1.

Sunday saw a different look for both teams knowing that finals was no longer on the line. An injury in warm up for Sean Bosschieter had him needing to sub out of the match before the first point was even played. The Phoenix playing with determination and competitive spirit with great reception across the board. The Heat block was far less effective on the second day of the weekend, however Pascal Eckermann managed to find his way to 3 blocks against his fellow NSW boys. Jake Lewkowicz brought solid presence at the net taking two blocks of his own and led the Phoenix with reliable serving, but the attack brought by Travis Passier was again too big giving him 12 points for the game and leading the Heat to a 3-0 victory in the final match of the season for the NSW Phoenix.

The NSW Phoenix men showed significant improvement and growth across the board in the 2022 AVL season. Every match saw the Phoenix rise to new challenges and bring better performance on the court. A young team of players with very few carrying any senior volleyball experience, the NSW Phoenix will continue to work towards bigger and better things for 2023.

Women’s Matches

AVL Round 7 – NSW Phoenix vs Canberra Heat

Women’s Game 1: ACT 3:0 NSW (25-23, 25-21, 26-24)

Women’s Game 2: ACT 3:1 NSW (25-18, 25-22, 15-25, 25-20)

The final round of AVL saw the Phoenix travel to Canberra with the aim of securing their place in the finals. The team felt confident heading into the first match off the back of a win over the previously undefeated Melbourne Vipers in Round 6. The home team came out firing, making is difficult for the Phoenix women to find their flow throughout the match. Squad liberos Phoebe Trinh and Sharmaine Fernando supported the team in their defensive rolls in the absence of Marisa Ogasawara. Despite the Phoenix’s successful high scoring points and strong start in the third set, the combination of Heats blocking presence and deeply positioned attacks forced errors in both attack and defence, seeing the home team take the match 3:0.

The Phoenix regrouped on Saturday evening, focusing on positive affirmations with the team reviewing successful attacks from throughout the AVL season. Sunday mornings pre-game meeting saw the team heading into the final round match with clear strategy and tactics supported by Faruk Kaymak’s statistical work. The Canberra side started strong, taking the first set 25-18. Emily Stirk stepped up to drive the teams setting throughout the game when starting setter Britney Carlson’s calf needed physio attention throughout the game. The home team also looked to use the depth of their bench to maintain blocking pressure, unsure of how to defend against the pipe attack of Sylvia Musel. The full squad showed their support with rolling cheering from the bench, seeing the Phoenix take the 3rd set in a dominant 25-15. The fourth set saw the Canberra Heat team give it their all to secure the match, leaving the Phoenix without the final competition points needed to place in the top 4.

The NSW Phoenix women have shown they can perform, having taken games from 3 of the 4 teams heading to finals on the Gold Coast on December 3-4th. The team is proud to have set such a high bar and is looking forward to rising higher in future AVL competitions.