Monthly Update From Dan

Hey,

So that’s another month of games done, which leaves one and a half to go! The Vipers are maintaining pressure at the top of the Men’s division 1, but dropped a costly set to EG1.  The crunch games to Crawley and Brighton are timed nicely for an explosive title run in, in April.  That leaves just two games in March, home and away to Scorpions.  Jets also have two games this month Eastbourne and EG, a win here will put them safely mid table which isn't bad in their second season with the big boys…of course EG1 at home with Bon back in the fold won’t be easy….as Vipers found out!  Sharks have the freshly signed Mark, who will be playing in a more natural position for him this week after making his debute through the middle!

Over to the ladies and Demons had a great game against EG2, but have Dolphins1, EG1 and an improving Angels to play this month… I know a certain coach who would love to be back in time to play in that game!  Andy has gone from struggling to get a team together for the Angels to a wealth of options…it’ll take a while to bed everyone in, but it certainly looked promising in spells on Sunday!  Devils look forward to the EG game this month,  its always good to play against your national league teamies. Unfortunately Tracy is out with a broken foot), hope it's mending quickly!  The girls also have some key fixtures National League with games against Richmond, Plymouth and title rivals New Forest!

Vipers beat East Grinstead 3-1

A full squad except for Matt Lay travelled away to East Grinstead. The Vipers always manage to struggle in this fixture and last year got away with day light robbery in a very close 3-2 win.

True to form the Vipers struggled to get going against a very spirited EG Mens team who never gave up chasing every ball down and made far fewer mistakes than Vipers. The first set went to EG and it was clear Worthing would have to get their act together if they were going to win the match. A much better start from the Vipers saw them take an early lead in the second set, but again EG refused to lie down and clawed back to level things half way through the set. But Vipers started to cut out the first pass and hitting mistakes to close out the set comfortably.

Another strong start to the third set until Damo managed to slip and slightly turn his ankle attempting a back court hit and EG started to sense they may have a good chance to take another set. Some improved hitting from Matt and a better first pass enabled Andy to open up the middle with Andrew and Nigel taking full advantage. The Vipers closed out the third set and started to find their groove in the fourth. EG refused to lay down and their setter continued to be a thorn in the Vipers side with the occasional second touch dump and hit.

Be now Vipers had cut out their serving errors and built a large lead that they never looked like losing.

So a close and hard fought 3-1 win against an improving EG who should start to record more wins if they carry on working hard. MVP went to Andy probably for the court distance covered in the early sets until the Vipers pass improved later on, but must have been pushed hard by both Vipers middles and Derek through opposite.

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.

Monthly Report From Dan

So we're already at the end of January and the league tables are starting to take shape.  Vipers are still challenging for the title, but have a lot of work to do to make up lost ground to both Brighton Jaguars and Crawley who have both only lost one game. Jets have continued their promising start to the season and with a couple more wins should guarantee div1 volleyball next year, rather than leaving it to the final game of the season like last year!   The Sharks have pushed most teams all the way with a lot of five setters, but haven't managed to win that crucial final set....yet!

The ladies played a few more games in the first half of the season and Angels are starting to gel, although they miss Em on court, they have still picked up some good wins and are getting their heads around the positions.  Demons with a number of new players and missing some experienced ones (Dorothee and Lorna) have a few games in jand and with a couple of wins could still match last years impressive position.  Devils are currently top, but still have to play Dolphins and Crawley away and EG1 at home, so lots of good volleyball to come!

National league the Ladies are traveling to Manchester today for the Quarter finals of the National Cup to play Salford a strong Super8 team and have some tough games in the League to play still including Bath and New Forest!  There is no training for the next couple of weeks, its back on 25th February at the High School (20:00 - 22:00).

Doubles and triples
Emma and Carl will be a little too pre-occupied to run the doubles and triples tournament on 2nd and 3rd May this year. Is there anyone keen to step up and give it a go? All profits go towards keeping the club membership fees at £10 per month. Speak to Andy, Em or me if you are interested ASAP!

Key dates
Tuesday 3rd March - no training, there will be a social instead (probably curry and maybe bowling look out for more details nearer the time) 

Tuesday 28th April - Free curry, AGM and awards (again details will be sent out nearer the time - save the date!)

If anyone has any ideas for awards this year (serious or comedy) then please let me know!

Saturday 16th May - SEVA Men’s

Sunday 17th May - SEVA  Ladies

Who Fancies A Beer and a Curry!

No training on the 3rd March as the sports hall is unavailable. Alternative plan is drinks and a curry. Meeting at the Rose and Crown at 19:00 and then wandering over to the Chilcha at 20:00.

Everyone is welcome - if you could let Dan know if you can make it , he will make the necessary reservations!

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.

Vipers Beat East Grinstead 3-0

Viper played East Grinstead (EG) at the High School with Derek making his first appearance through opposite after last weeks friendly against Eastbourne. Along with Derek the Vipers had Nigel and Andrew through the middle, Andy setting with  Damo through the outside along with Matt Smith after a week away skiing. With Matt Lay unavailable we had the injured Mickey and Mark on the bench with Richard playing as Libero.

EG fielded a stronger team than last weeks fixture against the Jets and they started stronger than Vipers taking an early lead. It took a while for the Vipers to get up to speed with the new line up, but a series of big blocks and Damo consistently finding a hole with a roll shot to the middle of EG's court they clawed back in time to win the first set. In the second set Matt stated to find his range and Derek make some key blocks along with great middle hitting from Nigel and Andrew. The second set went to an improving Vipers and they carried the momentum in to the third.

Strong hitting from EG was tamed by even better blocking from Andrew and Nigel and the Viper's closed out a competitive game 3-0.

MVP went to Damo and the Vipers look forward to the return fixture against EG in a few weeks time.

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.

Angels Secure 3-0 Win

Angels traveled to East Grinstead to play their second team with the help of Trees and Mel. A good start from the Angels saw them take a 10-6 lead before a fire alarm resulted in a long delay and a chance for the girls to check out the local firemen!
The delay suited East Grinstead who restarted stronger than the Angels who struggled to get going, however a strong serving run from Amy saw then take control and win the first set.
The second set saw both teams trade points with neither team able to build a lead until the end of the set when the Angels edged ahead to make it 2-0. It was good to see the Angels win a tight set and the turning point was a long rally that saw Tanya make the recovery of the match when it looked like they were going to lose a very keenly contested point.
East Grinstead have a young team, but show improvement each time we see them and should eventually turn in to a very good team if they stick together and keep developing. Serving was always a struggle for the younger EG players, but by the third set they were  starting to play with more composure and the Angels had to work hard in back court to pick up their hits and dumps.
This set went to the wire with Angels again managing to hold their nerve to win 3-0. Special thanks to Mel and Trees who helped us out after a marathon weekend of volleyball.
This was a good performance from the Angels with strong hitting and back court coverage from Katie, great serving and variety of hits from Amy, some good blocking from Tanya and middle hitting from Aly.
Birthday girl Aly got the MVP vote from EG and all returned to Worthing with our first win in a while!