Mahindra Australian Volleyball Super League Round 4 Wrap

The cream is rising to the top as the 2024 Australian Volleyball Super League moves closer to the Finals Series with Adelaide and Perth firmly stamping their intentions on both the men’s and women’s competitions in round four.

The Storm were forced to go the distance to claim both matches at home while Perth were dominant on the road in Brisbane.

Adelaide Storm v Melbourne Vipers
36ers Arena, Adelaide SA
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Women: Storm d Vipers* 3:2 (18-14, 18-15, 13-18, 15-18, 18-16)

Adelaide cemented their place at the top of the women’s standings following a hard-fought win over Melbourne.

With the two sides going into the clash filling the top two places on the ladder, this was always going to be a high-octane clash and it was the home team who took were out of the blocks quickest.

The Storm took the opening two sets however the Vipers, who had dropped just six sets prior to round four, hit back to take the third and fourth.

The decider went right down to the wire with the Storm taking it 18-16, however the Vipers still took away five competition points from the match yo show they are definite title contenders.

Men: Storm d Vipers* 3:2 (18-10, 17-18, 18-16, 15-18, 18-16)

The men’s clash in Adelaide shaped up as potentially one of the matches of the season and the two sides did not disappoint.

The Vipers and Storm went into the match with near identical statistics as they sat in equal second on the ladder, however it was the home team asserting their authority from the outset with an eight-point first set win.

They had the opportunity to double the advantage however the Vipers held strong to win the 35th and final point of the second to tie up the match.

The Storm and Vipers traded the next to sets to send it to a decider where the home side prevailed 18-16 to move to outright second, just one point ahead of the Vipers.

Queensland Pirates v Perth Steel
Iona College, Brisbane QLD
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Women: Steel d Pirates 4:1 (18-12, 18-16, 18-8, 11-18, 18-10)

Defending champions Perth Steel have moved one step closer to the top of the women’s standings following a dominant 4:1 victory over Queensland in Brisbane.

After building an 18-point advantage in the opening three sets, Perth looked on track for maximum points before the Pirates took the fourth.

The Steel would need to win the fifth and final set by nine points to take a bonus point away from the match, however fell just shy (18-10).

The result still saw Perth leapfrog Melbourne on the competition ladder with one match to play, while Queensland are just in front of Canberra who still have a match in hand.

Men: Steel* d Pirates 4:1 (18-16, 18-9, 18-10, 14-18, 18-13)

After dropping their first Super League match last week, Perth hit back with their best performance of the season with a 4:1 victory over Queensland.

The Pirates put up a stern test to limit Perth to a two-point first set win, however the visitors outscored Queensland by 19 in the next two sets to assert their dominance.

When Queensland took the fourth set by four points, Perth needed a five-point win in the fifth set to take a bonus point. The 18-13 set win was exactly what they needed with the defending champions now feeling at home back atop the Super League ladder.

Queensland provisionally hold down a finals position in fourth, nine points clear of NSW who have a match in hand.

WOMEN’S TABLE AFTER ROUND 4
Team	P	W	L	Sets	Bonus	Points
Adelaide Storm	4	3	1	13-7	2	28
Perth Steel	4	3	1	12-8	1	25
Melbourne Vipers	4	2	2	11-9	2	24
Queensland Pirates	4	1	3	8-12	1	17
Canberra Heat	3	2	1	7-8	0	14
NSW Phoenix	3	0	3	4-11	2	10

MEN’S TABLE AFTER ROUND 4
Team	P	W	L	Sets	Bonus	Points
Perth Steel	4	3	1	13-7	2	28
Adelaide Storm	4	3	1	12-8	2	26
Melbourne Vipers	4	2	2	11-9	3	25
Queensland Pirates	4	2	2	11-9	2	24
NSW Phoenix	3	1	2	7-8	1	15
Canberra Heat	3	0	3	1-14	0	2