Aussies volley Kiwi attack in thriller

The ACT men’s volleyball team attempt to block a Kiwi spike during their match at the ADF Volleyball Championships in Albury. The RNZAF team won the men’s division.

By Andrew Stackpool

THE Victorian women’s volleyball team put up a dogged resistance to beat a visiting RNZAF team at the Australian Defence Force Volleyball Association Combined Services National Titles.

The competition was held at Albury from November 7-16.

More than 130 players took to the courts in 10 days of hard-fought action, with conditions perfect for all but the last day that was marked by 40-degree heat.

Play was made even more challenging as the air conditioning plant was unserviceable.
Four women’s teams from Queensland, Victoria, NSW and the RNZAF took to the court in what was described as a “purler” of a tournament.

The men fielded teams from the ACT, NSW, Queensland, Victoria, Far North Queensland, New Zealand and a team of former ADFVA members called the X-Men.
The numbers were more remarkable because of the ADF’s current high operational tempo with many players on deployment.

Many others had only just returned from deployments and were not at peak form.
The visiting RNZAF women’s team worked hard in an unfamiliar environment to be narrowly beaten 15-13 by the Victorian team.

According to association spokesperson Warrant Officer 2 Ian Baker, they had to contend with the searing heat and lack of air to be narrowly beaten by a dogged Victorian team, determinedly led by Major Jenny Becker from SCMA.

“The women’s grand final was a purler. It was one of their finest performances ever. The Kiwis took the game all the way through to the fifth set in the face of dogged play from the Victorians,” WO2 Baker said.

In the end Victoria came home by the narrowest of margins, 15-13. Queensland finished third.
Meanwhile, the men also produced sterling performances across the board.

When the smoke cleared the RNZAF men’s team had overcome a strong and hard-playing X-Men’s team three sets to one.

NSW finished third while WO2 Baker was awarded male player of the match.

The ADF’s team has been selected and it will fly out in August 2004 to take on the best of the Kiwis in New Zealand’s interservice competition.

From there they will take part in the ADF’s next Combined Services series in Brisbane next November. The Royal Navy has indicated its intention to compete and the RNZN is understood to be about to take up the gauntlet.

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