The biggest volleyball tournament in the entire state is coming up and you can be a part of it! The 4 day tournament for High Schools was a great success last year and this year will be even better. All High Schools in WA are encouraged to enter teams across the range of divisions and age groups, as there is something to suit all abilities.

The 2008 Drug Aware Volleyball Schools Cup will be held at Lords Sports Club, Subiaco and Loftus Recreation Centre, Leederville on September 18th – 21st You have to be there!

The WA Schools Cup for many is a lead up to the Australian Volleyball Schools Cup. If your students require the Level 1 Referee qualifications please complete the Booking Form and send to Marta Makuch at the Volleyball WA office to arrange a suitable time and date for the course. Please note that courses will NOT be available in Term 4!

• Flyer
• Nomination Form
• Tournament regulations
• VWA Membership form

Congratulations to Rachelle Brammer for another great season in the Australian Volleyball League, finishing the season on a personal high, she was awarded the Most Valuable Player for the whole competition at the final round in Sydney. The award is testament to her all round skills and consistency throughout the four rounds played this year.

The 2008 season proved to be a challenging one for the West Australian team. Battling a number of injuries and illnesses leading into the final, W.A fell short in a close five set match against Queensland to play for Bronze. Although finishing a disappointing fifth place the team improved its win/loss ration to 5 – 14 for the season.

The 2008 season saw a marked improvement in game play across all the teams, with a number of national stars from previous years coming out of retirement to be part of the ‘new look’ Women’s A.V.L.

The coaches would like to thank VWA for their administration support and would also like to thank Nigel Williamson – OneSteel for their support of the 2008 WA team.

The season proved financially draining for the athletes, with an overall cost of over $3,000 to participate. With this in mind the team is already planning fundraising opportunities and looking for key sponsors to support the team as we now commence preparation for the 2009 season.

Although our finish would suggest otherwise, the team has made great improvements over the last 12 months, most evident by the invitation of 5 WA athletes to participate in a National selection camp, held directly after the last round, for two key International events later this year. Congratulations and good luck to Rachelle Brammer, Jenny Day, Connie Byrnes, Sophie Godfrey and Michelle Hand.

On 27th July, the WA Womens team headed east to Adelaide, looking to add to their tally of wins against Australia’s best in the Australian Volleyball League.

Following a solid performance in Round 2 (Perth), coach Pauline Manser and the players were eager to at least match their 50/50 win loss ratio. Game 1 against Victoria was a see-sawing affair with the Vic Blues winning the first two sets, then WA taking the 3rd and 4th to send the match into a deciding 5th set. It was still anyone’s game with WA trailing 7-9, but some critical errors gave the Blues a break, and they ran away with the latter part of the set, winning 15-8. Final score: (WA mentioned first) 18-25, 14-25, 25-17, 25-18, 8-15.

Queensland went into the next game wanting to make amends after losing their two previous matches to WA. They came out blazing in Set1, wrapping it up convincingly 25-18. Set 2 was a different story. WA turned defence into attack, gaining the lead early in the set, then continuing to extend the point difference through to the end, winning the set by 14 points. The momentum stayed with WA in the 3rd as they went 2-1 up in the match. However, Qld were not giving up and came back to take the 4th set. Once more, WA v Qld went to a 5th set to decide the outcome. WA played confident volleyball with few errors whilst Qld looked a little nervous. With continued attack pressure, WA took control of the set and finished it with a kill to team captain Rachelle Brammer. Match Score: 18-25, 25-11, 25-22, 22-25, 15-9.

UTSSU (NSW combined universities) took on WA in a ‘dead rubber’, with UTSSU clearly leading the season ladder and already having secured their berth in the gold medal match. WA was playing for 3rd place going into the final round. This match illustrated the strength of the UTSSU team as they outplayed the WA team in each set. WA’s lead at 14-11 in Set 1 was extinguished, then turned into a deficit as NSW outscored WA 14 points to 3 in the second half of the set, winning 25-17. UTSSU shifted into top gear for the rest of the match, comfortably winning sets 2 & 3. WA now needs to win against SA to retain 3rd place on the ladder. Match Score: 17-25, 11-25, 18-25.

“A pressure game for VWA where a win affirms their 3rd place on the ladder, but (SA) Lions can take it away if they win the final match of the round.” (Frontpage News, Australian Volleyball League, 29 June 2008)

SA Centacare Lions didn’t want to disappoint in front of their home crowd, and gained the early advantage over the WA girls. Down 1-5, WA felt the pressure of the occasion and SA grew in confidence, extending their lead to 16-6. Try as they might, there was no coming back for WA in Set 1, losing 25-16.

Unfortunately the situation was repeated in Set 2, with Anna Maycock doing most of the damage for SA. WA lost the second set 25-12. Set 3 saw a change of fortune for WA. Kobi Evans and Rachelle Brammer attacked well, keeping them in the hunt at 7-10. It was side-out play for the next few points when WA called a time out at 9-13. The SA Centacare Lions could sense victory at this stage, and piled on the pressure in attack and defence, extending the lead to 23-12. To their credit, WA continued to fight, clawing back to 23-17 before SA won the two points required for victory and 3rd place overall. Match Score: 16-25, 12-25, 17-25.

WA finishes Round 3 of the Australian Volleyball League with a 1-3 win/loss ratio and 4th place overall. They head to Sydney for the Finals Round on 25th – 27th July.

The beach volleyball season is fast approaching and Volleyball WA is looking for enthusiastic people to fill a variety of roles. This is the perfect summer job – get paid for spending your days at the beach! Applications close on Tuesday 26th August 2008. Click on each position for the Job Description and Application: Competition Manager; Competition Assistant; Set Up Crew Coordinator; Set Up Crew.

Volleyball WA will be conducting "on going raffles" during the remainder of the PVL season to raise money for various volleyball projects.

Prizes will all be donated and 100% of the monies will go to volleyball projects.

Peter Scudds (VWA Board Member) will be selling tickets. Please support this venture as your assistance will help volleyball in WA and you will have a great opportunity of winning fabulous prizes.

This great program for all kids aged 9-12 is held on the beach volleyball courts at Royal Park (West Perth) during Term 4. Limited Numbers, so be quick! Click here for more information and a Team Nomination Form.