Results Update

A quick update on Sunday's games as follows:-

Jets missed Dan's organisational skills and managed to turn up late for their match against Brighton Jags and with the home team applying the letter of the law they started the game 2-0 down! A good performance without a warm up saw them get to 17 points before losing 3-0. MVP was Matt Lay.

Angels played Demons with a new setter and a spirited performance saw them score at least 18 points in each set. They are improving with every match and now have enough players to mix things up despite missing both Emma and Amy.

Vipers played a scratch Storrington team who battled hard, but finally a closed out a tighter third set to take the game 3-0 and move ever closer to the final two games of the season against Crawley and Brighton Jaguars which will decide a very close season. Crawley remain firm favourites for the title having only lost one match (to the Jets) and Brighton Jag's have only lost two games (both against Crawley), but Vipers have to play them both. Wins for the Vipers against Storrington, Crawley and Brighton Jag's would mean getting out the calculators to see who would win on sets difference etc, but there is a long way to go before we need to worry about that!

Worthing ladies NVL team won one and lost one at the weekend, but winning the league is still in their own hands and they just need to win the last two games to secure back to back championships and promotions! Keep an eye on our Facebook site for match reports from Dan.

If anyone wants to provide more details on any of these games or indeed any others before the end of the season you only need to email ,me the report and any pictures and I will get them loaded!

Vipers Vrs Jets The Rematch

The Vipers Vrs Jets rematch started with Matt Lay stepping in as setter for the Jets as Martin was late due to work. Vipers were without Nigel and so Mickey stepped in through the middle.

An even contest at the start of the set, but Vipers started to impose themselves with big hits from Damo and Matt Smith and they took the first set to 14.

With Martin back for the second the Jets relaxed too much and found themselves 8-0 down. But a good comeback due to better back court cover and improved blocking saw them start to chip away at the Vipers lead. The Jets threatened to get inside Damo's head, but he started to vary his hits and the Vipers closed out the second set with a few points to spare.

A close start to the third set saw Mark replace Mickey through the middle and Derek started to find his range. The Vipers closed out a key 3-0 win, but the Jets played well with good back court cover from Marlon, middle hitting from both Josh and Ninah. The Jets are safe this season and still expect them to surprise a few more teams if they can field their strongest team.

Vipers MVP went to, Derek and for Jets it was Marlon.

Scratch Jets Team Lose 3-0 To Crawley

Jets played away against Crawley without regular setter Martin, Magic, Luis or Dan! Andy stepped in to set and Kishan played up from the Sharks which meant Matt opposite, Josh and Ninah through the middle and Marlon through the outside.

Crawley started strong and the Jets struggled to find a decent first pass without Libero, Dan, who was with the Devils. Better play in the middle of the set, by too many service errors and simple mistakes meant Crawley won the set with comparative  ease.

A better second set as the team started to gel and put a better block up with Josh finding his range through the middle. But Crawley won the set and the Jets regrouped for the third.

A much better performance in the third set with Ninah and Kish hitting well and Marlon starting to find holes in the Crawley defence. Jets took the set to 27-25 with good hitting from Matt including the odd backcourt attack and had Crawley worried for a while. Josh picked up a deserved MVP as the Jets strongest hitter, but good performances from all considering the many changes and missing players.

Jets beat EG and Vipers Struggle To Win 3-2 Against Eastbourne

Vipers played Eastbourne at the High School on Sunday after the Jets beat East Grinstead with a very strong 3-0 performance.

The Jets had a full squad for the first time in months with Luis back from his travels. They started with Magic opposite and Matt through the outside after his strong performance there against the Vipers last week (well for the first set anyway!). A much improved first pass meant Martin was able to open up the middle and Josh took full advantage with one of his best performances this season so far. Ninah continues to improve through the middle and is starting to nail a few blocks and quick attacks. A solid block and hitting through opposite from Magic, mobile coverage back court from Dan and the strong outside hitting options from Marlon and Luis mean the Jets have options and when they pull together are a force to be reckoned with.

Strong serving and varied attacks orchestrated by Martin meant the Jets never looked in danger of losing a set and they finished 3-0 winners. Retaining their first division status last season was the first time any "second" team has managed to stay in the top tier of Sussex volleyball and this win should assure first Division status for next season so they can now relax and see how far up the table they can finish. 

The Vipers game moved to a friendly as Eastbourne could only manage to bring 5 players and consequently they really struggled to find the motivation to take the game seriously. Josh helped out Eastbourne who started strongly taking an early lead which they never looked in danger of losing. The first and second sets went to Eastbourne against a very flat and lack lustre Vipers team who looked like they would rather be down the pub!

Strong words from the coach and determined efforts from their setter saw them sneak the third set before they gradually started to wake up! A close fourth set went to the Vipers before they finally moved through the gears to secure a relatively easy final set win.

A good performance from Eastbourne and especially Josh who showed the Vipers no mercy! Good character from the Vipers after a very poor start, but five sets can only help new Viper Derek find his range through the outside and settle in to the service receive.

Thanks to all who stayed to officiate and play on a night where some had travelled to and from Manchester.

Great Start To The Season

Devils played their first match without many regulars including Sintija, Amy, Gemma and Mel. This meant Emma playing up from the Angels and Katie Lay starting her first match again playing up from the Angels. After a slow start to the first set normal service was resumed and they won the match 3-0. Watch this space in case Dan loads a more detailed report!

Jets started slow against Crawley with a debut for Nino, Matt Lay playing his first match opposite and Mickey through the outside. Having lost Bernard, Dom, Matt Wilkes and Iain over the summer it was a case of getting to know each other in the first set. Jets lost the first set, but cut out the mistakes to win the next two sets before losing the fourth which set up a fifth set thriller!

A flying start to the final set with lots of noise and fewer mistakes enabled a 3-2 winning start to the season.

Luis picked up MVP for the Jets and Chantelle for the Devils.

Jets beat Storrington to secure Div1 status.

The Jets faced Storrington knowing that they had to win the match to stay in Div1 next season! The Jets started with Martin setter and Dom opposite, Matt and Josh through the middle and Luis and Marlon through the outside. The first set was very tense with Storrington taking an early lead which they maintained until the Jets edged ahead to take a 1-0 lead. By now Bernard was playing through the outside and started the second set very strong. Again the Jets struggled to keep with Storrington until strong words from Martin helped turn things around to lead 2-0. In the third set Jets mixed things up with Matt Wilkes playing opposite and Iain coming on as well, but Storrington had found their form and won the set to take it in to a fourth. Back to the second set rotation for the Jets, but Storrington just managed to close out a very tense set to take it to a deciding set. Time to get serious! With one point in it at the turn around both teams continued to trade points until the Jets edged ahead to win 15-13. In the most competitive league for many many years the Jets just managed to beat a strong and well matched team to secure their div 1 future. Bernard saved his best performance for his last ever match for the Jets and Marlon had a very strong game. It was a good all performance and we now have one game left against Eastbourne in a few weeks time.

Jets take a set from Crawley in a close match.

The Jets were without Matt Wilkes, Bernard and Marlon, but welcomed back Martin who missed the last match against the Vipers.

A great start to the match from the Jets who won a close first set against a much improved Crawley with great setting from Martin and hitting from eventual MVP Dom. The second set was a poor tempered affair from Crawley with one of their more vocal and poorly behaved players picking up a well deserved yellow card. The Jets lost the second and third sets as they struggled to cope with the excellent hitting from Crawley's MVP outside hitter No1. The Jets maintained their composure despite continued poor behaviour from Crawley who were intent on commenting on every decision that did not go their way, but energy levels dipped at critical times during the game.

A close forth set was eventually won by Crawley, but this was by far one of the best all round performances from the Jets. Performance of the season from Dom with Martin also playing out of his skin. Good blocking from Matt and Josh and sensible hitting from Iain and Luis means we enter the last few games of the season in good shape.

Strong serving during most of the match, but we just need to cut out serving and hitting errors during critical final phases of the game.

Well played Jets, I am proud of your performance and behaviour on court.