Women’s Volleyroos wrap up Challenge Cup campaign
The Women’s Volleyroos have wrapped up their Asian Volleyball Confederation Challenge Cup campaign with a sixth place finish.
The Volleyroos lost their opening two matches to India and Indonesia before a 3:1 victory over Philippines to close out the pool stage.
This placed them in the 5th to 8th classification section of the draw and a showdown with Uzbekistan.
After trading the opening sets, the Volleyroos outlasted their opponents 28-26 in the third and took control of the match for a 3:1 win.
In the playoff for fifth against Iran, the Volleyroos once again split the first two sets but were unable to get on top, eventually going down 3:1 for a sixth place finish.
“I’m so proud of the team in the way they played and improved every match,” said coach Russell Borgeaud. “While we lost today, the team improved every match and today we were able to play some of our best.
“We are now looking forward to the upcoming camps and the tour to Vietnam and Asian Championships in Thailand. Thanks to family and team supporters for your messages, and thanks to the VA Board and staff for their support of the team.”
Captain Mikaela Stevens said the AVC Challenge Cup provided the perfect platform for the squad to come together and build into a more cohesive unit.
“This tournament was a great opportunity to continue to grow and develop as a squad and we definitely achieved this,” said Stevens. “The team was able to gain valuable experience both physically and mentally about what it takes completely to compete at the highest level in Asia.
“We are looking forward to bringing this to our wider squad at our next camp and continue our development throughout the remaining international season.”
2023 AVC Challenge Cup for Women
Gresik, East Java INA
18-25 June
Australian Results
Preliminary Pool C : India d Australia 3:1 (13-25, 25-16, 25-22, 25-14)
Pool E: Indonesia d Australia 3:0 (25-13, 25-17, 25-16)
Pool E: Australia d Philippines 3:0 (25-18, 25-22, 21-25, 25-20)
5th-8th Semi-Final: Australia d Uzbekistan 3:1 (25-21, 17-25, 28-26, 25-19)
5th Place Playoff: Iran d Australia 3:1 (25-20, 19-25, 25-18, 25-20)
