Mahindra Australian Volleyball Super League | Round 5 Preview
The Mahindra Australian Volleyball Super League regular season is coming down to the wire, with teams pushing for a spot in the Finals Series which is now only two weeks away.
Both the Adelaide Storm and Melbourne Vipers will rest this weekend due to a bye, giving the remaining four teams an opportunity to either extend their lead, or in the case of the Canberra Heat and NSW Phoenix, strive to stay in contention for the Finals Series in Adelaide.
SUNDAY 29 SEPTEMBER
Perth Steel v Canberra Heat
Warwick Stadium, Perth, WA
3pm AWST/5pm AEST | SBS On Demand
2023 Round 5 Results
Men: Perth Steel d Canberra Heat 4:1 (18-14, 18-11, 18-15, 18-16, 13-18)
Women: Perth Steel d Canberra Heat 4:1 (15-18, 18-10, 18-4, 18-11, 18-12)
The ladder will meet in the middle this Sunday at Warwick Stadium as the Perth Steel play host to the travelling Canberra Heat.
With the Steel’s Finals fate all but secured in both the Men’s and Women’s competitions, this weekend will be about bragging rights for the home sides who are currently ranked first and second on their respective standings.
For the Canberra Heat, this weekend is about redemption. Having gone down the west-coast sides last year in Round 5, the ACT-based teams will aim to knock their opponents down a tier, causing a major upset to the Steel’s reputation in the process.
Perth Steel’s Tessa Browne will be sure to make things difficult for the Heat, having been named in the Mahindra Team of the Week each and every Round of the regular season.
Fresh from a bye last Round, the Canberra Heat’s Women’s side will rely on their cohesive side to take the battle to the hosts. Just three points outside the top four, they are still a big chance of playing in the Finals but need a strong result on the road.
In the Men’s, Tom Heptinstall, Caleb Watson and Ky Landers have been in fine form in the opening month and will be leading from the front for Perth.
After featuring in the Round 2 Team of the Week, Canberra’s Aussie U20 player Thomas McKinney will be pivotal to the Heat’s chances of success. With just one set win from their opening three matches, the Heat face an uphill task but go to Perth with nothing to lose.
SUNDAY 29 SEPTEMBER
NSW Phoenix v Queensland Pirates
Sydney Olympic Park, Sydney, NSW
3pm AEST | YouTube
2023 Round 4 Results
Men: Phoenix d Pirates 3:2 (18-17, 17-18, 18-17, 17-18, 18-16)
Women: Pirates d Phoenix 5:0 (18-8, 18-16, 18-4, 18-7, 18-14)
Sunday Funday will be in full swing this weekend when the NSW Phoenix and Queensland Pirates go head-to-head for all important competition points as the Finals approach.
Fourth on the ladder in both the Men’s and Women’s competitions, the Pirates’ sides will both be hungry for a win to enhance their chances of qualifying through to the Finals Series.
Equally as determined and perhaps a touch desperate, NSW will also be positioning for the extra points. While they sit outside the top four in both competitions, good results in the next two weeks will prove their Finals goals are not out of reach.
NSW men’s team will look back on their 2023 victory over the Pirates and hope to repeat the effort and potentially even leapfrog their opponents on the ladder.
However, the determined and improved Queensland side, coached by Kylie Marshall, will not go down without a fight, having missed out on the Finals Series altogether in 2023 and looking to redeem themselves this season.
In the Women’s competition, the NSW Phoenix find themselves currently at the bottom of the ladder, sitting on 10 points after losing three games this season.
With a win under their belt, the Pirates Women are seven points ahead of their hosts this week in the standings. Having made multiple appearances in the Mahindra Team of the Week, Scarlett Rudder and Kylee White will look to lead the Pirates to victory and dare to dream of how far they can go in 2024.
