Mahindra Australian Volleyball Super League Round 3 Wrap
The Mahindra Australian Volleyball Super League ladders have been shifting after round three of competition however the finals picture is no clearer yet.
Queensland’s men and Adelaide’s women were perfect in 5:0 victories, with Storm fans treated to an unbelievable display at home with their sides dropping just one of 10 sets.
Canberra and NSW have work to two in their final two matches with both their men’s and women’s sides needing to come from behind if they are the feature in the Finals Series.
Melbourne Vipers v Perth Steel
Melbourne Sports Centres VIC
Click here to catch-up via AusVolley YouTube
Women: Steel d Vipers* 3:2 (18-15, 14-18, 13-18, 18-16, 18-14)
Perth Steel have come from a set down to claim victory over Melbourne and knock the Vipers from top spot on the Mahindra Australian Volleyball Super League ladder.
While the visitors were out of the blocks best to take the opening set, Melbourne hit back in front of a parochial home crowd to take the lead.
However the defending champions showed the spirit which took them to last year’s title, winning the fourth and fifth set to claim the match.
Importantly, Melbourne claimed five competition points courtesy of their two set wins and a bonus point to sit second on the table, two points in front of Perth,
Men: Vipers d Steel* 3:2 (18-13, 18-13, 12-18, 18-17, 14-18)
Perth Steel were looking to make it a perfect 10 wins in the Super League era when they travelled to Melbourne but were taken down for the first time in two seasons.
The Vipers held momentum through the first two sets which they won comfortably before Perth hit back to claim the third.
Steel’s hopes of a tenth straight win were still alive deep into the fourth set which went to the 35th and final point however Melbourne stood tall to take a 3:1 advantage.
Perth claimed the final set to ensure they took five competition points from Melbourne and remain well inside the top four.
Ironically, the result sees Melbourne go from a share of first to two-points shy of top spot due to the Pirates-Heat result.
Canberra Heat v Queensland Pirates
Lyneham Hockey Centre, Canberra ACT
Click here to catch-up via SBS On Demand
Women: Heat d Pirates* 3:2 (8-18, 18-14, 18-8, 18-12, 14-18)
Canberra Heat scored their second win of the season with a 3:2 victory at home over Queensland in a match which saw huge momentum swings.
The Pirates looked set for an easy day at the office with a 10-point win in the opening set however Canberra recovered to even the match up. The Heat then had an 18-8 set of their own to gain the ascendency and won the fourth 18-12 to secure the result.
Queensland won the fifth set to ensure they took five competition points away from Canberra and stay one point ahead of the Heat on the League Ladder.
“I just think Heat stepped up and put a lot of service pressure on us,” said Queensland’s Holly Mallett. “[They] just kind of got on a run of points and we found it hard to hideout so I think that’s kind of where we went down a bit.
“They used a lot of hitting options in the second set – we kind of weren’t expecting that.”
Men: Pirates* d Heat 5:0 (18-15, 18-8, 18-13, 18-11, 18-11)
A year is a long time in volleyball and there can be no more perfect example of that than the fortunes of Queensland and Canberra’s mens teams in 2024.
Last year Canberra qualified for the Finals Series as defending League champions while the Pirates failed to register a win.
Fast forward to this year and Queensland now sit on top of the men’s ladder after a 5:0 demolition of Canberra who won just one set this season.
Queensland can almost secure a finals berth with a strong result at home against Perth next week while Canberra will look to regroup with a week off before their next match.
Adelaide Storm v NSW Phoenix
36ers Arena, Adelaide SA
Click here to catch-up via AusVolley YouTube
Women: Storm* d Phoenix 5:0 (18-16, 18-15, 18-9, 18-10, 18-14)
A dominant Adelaide Storm outfit put the competition on notice with a 5:0 rout of NSW Phoenix to send a message to the rest of the Super League.
After winning close contests in the first two sets, Adelaide moved into top gear in the following two with nine and ten point margins.
With a 22-point advantage going into the fifth, the Storm required 16 points to earn a bonus point, however they went to better to secure all five sets, taking 11 competition points from the match and a bullet to first place on the table.
Men: Storm* d Phoenix 4:1 (18-9, 18-14, 18-13, 17-18, 18-11)
Adelaide Storm look set for another charge at the Finals Series following a dominant 4:1 victory over NSW Phoenix.
On the same court where the 2024 title will be decided, Storm clinched the match in the opening three sets before their perfect match was broken with a 35-point loss in the fourth. A three-win in the final set would be enough for Adelaide to take a bonus point, with a seven-point margin ensuring a nine-point haul of competition points and a share of second place on the ladder.
NSW on the other hand have slipped from first to third and now fifth in the last two weeks, winning just two of their last ten sets.
| WOMEN’S TABLE AFTER ROUND 3 | ||||||
| Team | P | W | L | Sets | Bonus | Points |
| Adelaide Storm | 3 | 2 | 1 | 10-5 | 2 | 22 |
| Melbourne Vipers | 3 | 2 | 1 | 9-6 | 1 | 19 |
| Perth Steel | 3 | 2 | 1 | 8-7 | 1 | 17 |
| Queensland Pirates | 3 | 1 | 2 | 7-8 | 1 | 15 |
| Canberra Heat | 3 | 2 | 1 | 7-8 | 0 | 14 |
| NSW Phoenix | 3 | 0 | 3 | 4-11 | 2 | 10 |
| MEN’S TABLE AFTER ROUND 3 | ||||||
| Team | P | W | L | Sets | Bonus | Points |
| Queensland Pirates | 3 | 2 | 1 | 10-5 | 2 | 22 |
| Melbourne Vipers | 3 | 2 | 1 | 9-6 | 2 | 20 |
| Adelaide Storm | 3 | 2 | 1 | 9-6 | 2 | 20 |
| Perth Steel | 3 | 2 | 1 | 9-6 | 1 | 19 |
| NSW Phoenix | 3 | 1 | 2 | 7-8 | 1 | 15 |
| Canberra Heat | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1-14 | 0 | 2 |
