This weekend saw the final minor rounds of the Australian Volleyball League (AVL) being played out and thanks to the department of Sport and Recreation, the WA teams hosted the VVA Vultures in Albany. This was the first ever AVL game to be played in regional WA ever and it was a huge success.

The Albany Volleyball Association and the WA Pearls and Hornets made use of their visit to regional WA by keeping busy and ensuring their visit help grows the sport in as many ways as possible. The teams ran multiple school and junior clinics, a coach and referee forum, exhibition matches between Albany and Esperance, as well as putting on a VIP Function for members of parliament and Volleyball royalty on the regional area. The visit also provided a much needed opportunity for the regional Coaches and Referees to be assessed and help them achieve an upgrade in their qualifications.

The weekend was topped off with the WA Hornets securing their spot in the AVL finals by beating the Vultures in a nail-biting 5 setter on Saturday night. The born and bred local boy Cameron Dall secured the win by putting away a back row attack to finish the 5th set at 17-15. This is the second time in as many years the Hornets have qualified for the finals and they will be looking forward to heading over to Melbourne in two weeks. The Hornets will play the undefeated and last years reigning champions, the Queensland Pirates in their semi-final scheduled for the 5th of December. They have a big task ahead of them but the boys have rallied all year and pulled out some big results to finish second in the southern conference so it wont be a walk in the park for the no.1 seeded Pirates.

Unfortunately the girls went down in their games and this has brought an end to their 2015 campaign. The Pearls struggled at times to consistently get the ball to the net and utilize their size. None the less their first year back in the premier volleyball competition was a great experience and they showed they can compete against the best teams in the country when they play at their best.

Be sure to rally around the Hornets and stay tuned for the updates on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/WA-Pearls-Hornets-Volleyball-424178317770496/

photo credit: Wells Photographics. https://www.facebook.com/WellsPhotographics/

Hornets win spikes interest in return fixture (Albany Advertiser 25/11/15)