Oxford Volleyball Club

Men 1's shock loss – first time this season

2012-02-13T15:42:00.005Z

Oxford went down to Reading to play Spikeos, the team second in the league, and Reading University, who are bottom. We went with three regular players missing: Jeremy, Lukasz and Martijn, but had drafted in a new player, Anders, and dusted off an old boy, Neil. The rest of the team were Steve, Gerard, Rune, Gabriele and stand-in captain and coach, Jon.

Oxford 1 v Spikeos

We started well with some good passing and generally good all-round play. We were 2 or 3 points up all the way to 16. At this point, we did not move into the next gear to finish off the set. In fact, the passing went off a little, giving Jon less options for setting. This gave Spikeos the chance to take the lead, which they took, winning 25–22.

The next set went very much the same way: Steve made a couple of great pick-ups in this set but we did miss the big hitting and blocking that Jeremy and Lukasz bring to the team. We lost this set 25–19. MVP: Gabi

Reading Uni v Oxford 1

For the next game we changed the system and – because of an unfortunate left-hand spike – Jon made Neil libero. This game went well with the passing being better and we got some good attacks in ourselves. Reading had a couple of big hitters, but Jon had this covered with some huge blocks. Anders was working hard and started to hit very well. We won 25–14, 25–17. MVP: Anders

Tight at the top

Oxford Men 1 16 15 1 30 7 45

Spikeopaths Men 1 16 14 2 30 5 44

Farnborough Vipers 16 8 8 18 18 26

(written by Neil)

Oxford Mixed - Important Victory !!

2012-02-09T00:53:00.001Z

Good evening all !
It's with some pride & pleasure (and a delay of a few days...) I can announce to you that Maidenhead's winning spree has come to an end last Sunday ! But first things first, it's time to tell you what & how it happened !

First Game - Maidenhead Vs. Oxford
After an erratic drive in the snow, we finally arrived to the Loddon Valley sport center. And we were playing the first game against Maidenhead. Standard warmup & finally we were on. The players on court were Annika, Simon, Anna, Karina, Corne & myself. The first part of the first set is quite tight but in our favour (2-0, 5-3) and then Maidenhead started making the break using the "not-good-looking-but-f*****g-efficient-tipping-just-behind-the-block-where-there-is-no-one" technique (5-7, 8-10), forcing us to proceed to a substitution between Corne & Mark, Corne complaining that 3 long rallyes in a row caused him to loose his breath. This change had a good effect on us, and we took the lead again at this point (15-13) forcing Maidenhead to take a timeout. It was clearly useful because they restarted reducing the point difference and caught back with us, scoring point after point (18-16, 18, 20) & forcing us this time to take a timeout. But they stayed stronger and managed to secure their advance at the end of the set, finishing in the lead 25-21.
So we were on for the second set ... I didn't proceed to any change on the players on court, considering that actualy everyone was playing to a really good level. We received their first served, scored the first point, and it was then the first of a strong start putting us in the lead by far (1-1, 5-2, 7-3, 8-4, 10-5) forcing Maidenhead to take their timeout. But this time, after watching carefully how they were playing, we were not tricked any more by their tipping technique and they had no other choices (considering that the Simon & Mark were setting a strong block on the net) than rolling the ball over, giving us extra opportunities to kill the ball through short middle hits or outside diagonals. Fighting every single point was the key for us, and the advance we set up at the beginning of the second set stayed until the end (15-7, 20-11 & finally 25-14).
3rd set ... No change to line upe ... Both teams with pressure ... Maidenhead served first and scored 3 points in a row. We scored 2 but Maidenhead took the serve again, and we reached the score of 4-7 for them. And our holy server Simon arrived and managed to get us to change sides ... IN THE LEAD !! 8-7 !! The end of the set became then full of pressure and tension, Maidenhead taking the lead again with 10-11 forcing us to take a timeout... My speech was about committing to get the ball without letting anyone else take it for you, speech I had to the apply to myself as Mark & I managed to save an attack from their side by fighting for the point, which we then transformed into a point for us. And we took the lead again at this stage, forcing Maidenhead to have their last timeout at 14-12. But I served for the game and the Oxford team hold on tight. So as initially announced, I am proud to annouce that the former undefeated Maidenhead have been challenged by Oxford !! And my ego is proud to annouce I got the MVP title for this game, and I would think because I helped the team breaking Maidenhead's efficient technique that caused us the first set.

Second Game - Spikeos Vs. Oxford
Again a game in 3 sets, and we were already warmed up after our victory. The players on court were Annika, Mark, Annette, Karina, Corne & myself. The first set was a relly tough one, no team really giving any point to the other one. We started slightly behind (timeout taken at 6-9 for Spikeos) but caught back and took the lead quickly after (timeout of Spikeos when loosing 10-11). Then all the points were fought from both sides one after another (13-12, 15-13, 16-16, 20-19, 21-20) & Corne managed at this point to secure for us a +3 points advance. We won the first set 25-22.
For the second set, I swapped Annika for Anna. We were confident ... Maybe too confident as this became the turning point of the game. Spikeos did a power start forcing us to take our first timeout at 1-5. They then carried on and our will to win completly disappeared ... They were scoring point after point when we couldn't kill the ball, and their advance increased even more. I took the second timeout at 10-18 as it was necessary. But it was to late to catch back, and even if Simon, who entered in the first set at 16-19 after Mark told me he was getting cramps, managed to spike a few impressive short attacks with his left hand (???) in their 3 meters during the set, it was just not enough... We lost the second set 25-14.
For the 3rd set Annika was back on court & this time Karina was on the bench with Mark. Spikeos managed to secure an advance of 4 points on their 3 server, and we had to try to catch back. But it turned up it was just not possible ... 7-3, 8-4, 9-5, 11-6, 12-7, 13-8 ... 14-9 ... 15-11. The MVP title went to Simon for his impressive short attacks during the whole game.

Third Game - Spikeos Vs. Maidenhead
I will only mention that Spikeos won that game, causing Maidenhead to have their second defeat in the same day. It was a quick game, and Spikeos won by 2 sets to 0, 25-22, 25-17.

We are 4th in the league so far, but I'm sure we can improve this position with some more victories !!

Team	P	W	L	F	A	Pts
Maidenhead Mixed	10	9	1	19	4	28
Spikeopaths Mixed 1	10	7	3	16	9	23
Newbury Mixed	8	6	2	14	6	20
Oxford Mixed	10	6	4	14	12	20

Men 1 fight to another two wins in the BVA league!

2012-02-02T19:43:00.007Z

On Sunday 29 January, there was a much anticipated fixture lined up. A clash of the Titans between the top three teams of the Berkshire league. This fixture could increase the gap or even things up between us and Spikeo’s at the top. The Oxford Titans for the day: Steve, Jeremy, Gerard, Lukasz, Martijn, Jon, Rune, Gabriele. We travelled to Kendrick School in Reading to find a bitterly cold hall. Noting that times are hard for private schools as well, we had an extra few minutes to warm up including some team bonding in the changing rooms.

First match: Spikeopaths v Oxford 1
In the first match against Spikeopaths, our closest rival for the title, we got going slowly and needed a time-out at 10-15 to re-group. From there on, we started to play better volleyball and put them under some pressure. We were even at 20-20, only to give them another couple of points at the end of the first set and losing it 24-26.

With the knowledge that we had to cut out our mistakes to win the match, we went into the 2nd set with confidence and some fresh legs from the French bench. It went point for point at the start until we won a few points on our service including a ‘Stonewall-J’ block from Rune and some nice pick-ups from our libero Steve. Spikeo’s struggled to keep up with us and could not do much more than win side-out points. At 17-14 ahead, Jon and Martijn served the next 8 points between them to win the 2nd set comfortably 25-17.

Therefore, a nail-biting decider was upon us! With some good volleyball from both sides, points were hard to come by. Some impressive defence and hitting got us 8-6 up when we changed ends. Then with some exciting calls together with a great fighting spirit from our side 8-6 became 12-10, 14-10, 14-11 and 15-11!

Oxford wins - Woopwoop!! MVP: Gabriele!

Second match: Oxford 1 v Maidenhead
Straight after our first game, we went into our second match against Maidenhead. We were warm from our previous match and they were a bit cold. This showed in the match as we raced ahead to 14-7. However at that point, the ‘high’ we were on from the last match disappeared and we could not finish the point. They were picking up everything and time-outs at 14-11 and 14-18 did not help much either. Then, after 12 points in a row, we scored a point and celebrated as if we had won our first ever point! We could, however, not turn it around and lost the first set.

We had to dig deep again and fight back in the second set, where we managed to settle down and win some good rallies. We were always a few points ahead and did not give them the chance to get back ahead in the set. From 15-13 up we continued to win points on our service and closed the set out at 25-19.

So another deciding set to play! We had played several deciders this season and won them all, and our intention was to do so again. Some good volleyball was mixed with a few ‘scrappy’ points. All points count and so we changed ends one point ahead at 8-7. Rune served twice in a row to increase our lead and at 13-13 it was all square again. Lukasz then served twice for us to win the set 15-13.

Another 2-1 victory for Oxford Mens 1. MVP: Gabriele!

Four more matches to go this season!

(written by Martijn)

Oxford Mixed - Great Games & Good Results !

2012-01-22T17:27:00.007Z

Good evening all,
Just writing after coming back from Queen's Mary College in Basingstoke where the Oxford Mixed team played its 4th fixture against Spikeopaths 2 & Basingstoke.

1st Game - Spikeopaths 2 Vs. Oxford Mixed
After a long drive, a "Bang On Time" arrival and a short warm up, Spikeos & Oxford were ready to fight. Our team on court was Cornelius, Annika, Simon, Annette, Kerstin & myself. Good start from both teams but better succes for Spikeos (7-2 for Spikeos and then 10-9 after forcing us to take a timeout), but we finally made the break at this point by getting our confidence and clean playing back and we were in the lead 21-15. But Spikeos fought every point without fear and closed the gap (23-21). Our mindset for win was there, and we managed to finish the first set ahead 25-22.
For the second set, Helen was now replacing Annette and we got a stressfull start with a comfortable +8 points on the board for Spikeos 15-7 and one timeout used for Oxford. We then started getting points back and reduced the advance to +4 (23-19). But again Spikeos showed their strength at the end, not giving up any balls and this time won the second set 25-20.
And we were now ready for the 3rd set... Felipe replaced Cornelius & Annette was back on court replacing Annika. Everything had to be done again. But the alchimy worked once again. We played basic, clean, defensive but with strong finishes and we got the side changing ahead (8-5). After this point, we had only 2 servers: Felipe served 3 goods in a row (9-5) and then Annette finished the set without letting anything (15-6)... And this is another 3 points for the Oxford Mixed Team !! The MVP title went to Kerstin for her nice work at the net & her general and permanent reliability.

2nd Game - Basingstoke Vs. Spikeopaths 2
I will write a bit about this one as the game was really nice to watch, both teams providing a "nice to watch" level of volleyball. A special thought for one of the girls of Spikeos who had to come off court after injuring her wrist. It was again a tough game in 3 sets. And if I am right (and don't laugh as I was second ref & Kerstin 1st Ref...) I think Basingstoke won. But I will check it when the BVA updates the results...

3rd Game - Basingstoke Vs. Oxford Mixed
This time the initial team on court was Felipe, Annika, Corne, Annette, Helen & myself. We lost the first service but won it back straight and added up the points up to a comfortable lead 12-7. But pressure catched us back and we were now blocked in one rotation, not managing to pick up the ball or finishing it. And Basingstoke made an impressive come back and took the lead with 16-13. We fought a few more point but they were definitly stronger than us at the end of the set, finishing with a nice advance 25-20...
Right... The only way to win this is now 2 sets in a row... Everything had to be done for it. Simon and Kerstin were back again on court, replacing respectively Felipe & Annette. We lost the first point on reception but got the second, allowing then Annika to serve 8 winning points in a row (9-2) !! We fought every point, fearing Basingstoke to come back. But this time, there was no errors from our side, continuing scoring points after points and finally winning the second set 25-13.
We amost had to stop the game at this point as it was 3:10 and we were supposed to give the Hall back at 3:00 pm. But the Sport Center allowed us to finish the game up to 3:30, which we did !!
I decided not to change the lineup this time as the team on court was in a good mindset. The start of the set was tough, both team fighting well (6-6) including a strong block of Kerstin against the main hitter of Basingstoke, but Basingstoke won the court change 8-6 and scored again another point before we finally got the service back (9-7). And Helen boosted us by getting 4 services in a row. And we were now ahead 11-10. Everyone thought "No time to wait to get the service back...". But this is exactly what Basingstoke was thinking as well and ... it was again a tight 12-12 score. At this point, we had to make the difference. One serve ... In ... Rally ... POINT for Oxford ! Second service for me, same scenario... And again a third time making us win the 3rd set and game 15-12 !! Annika got the MVP title this time for her nice work at the front putting their defense in difficulty and her service spree.

Again, I think the whole team enjoyed playing against Basingstoke & Spikeos as the level of paying was high, and the fairplay was on court. I'm sure they will be up for a revenge soon ...

Men 2 pick up an important victory

2012-01-17T10:42:00.005Z

Oxford Men's Team 2 have done themselves a favour this weekend and have strengthened their current ranking in the league by beating Basingstoke Lions - their direct contestants for 5th rank - in straight sets. But I'm getting ahead of the story already, so let me begin from where it all starts...

The team of Sam, Ghislain, Vivien, Simon, Richard, David, Dan and libero Sebastien were off to Basingstoke on Sunday 15 January to face Spikeos and the home team.

First match, Oxford 2 v Spikeopaths: Spikeos, currently battling it out with Oxford Men's 1 over the league victory, are always a tough opponent to face because of their consistent team performance. The same proved to be the case this time, but we didn't lag behind by much, finally conceeding by 16:25, 16:25. MVP for this game was Richard, who scored some nice hits against a good defence. I would say we played reasonably well during this much, but there were a couple of stretches where we made mistakes that prevented us from a closer score or even a potential set for our records. Nevertheless, we felt that the potential was there on this day and that, if we pulled ourselves together, we would be in a position to give any team a run for their money.

Second match, Basingstoke v Spikeos: We then had to referee before the all important game against the Basingstoke Lions. At this time, it is worth pointing out that the reffing duties were dealt with in a very professional manner by two of our newly decorated officials Ghislain (1st ref) and Simon (2nd ref), who at no time gave away the fact that this was indeed their baptism of fire. Well done chaps! Now here is where the good part begins. Basingstoke put up a strong performance against Spikeos. The game was played fast and hard, and despite Spikeos winning by 25:17, 25:11, we knew we were in for a test. But hold on to your chairs, ladies and gents, this is going to be well paced.

Third match, Basingstoke v Oxford 2: To set the scene, it is worth recalling that Oxford 2 and the home team Basingstoke are close contestants for positions 5 and 6 in the league. Finishing 5th means a guaranteed Div 1 rank next year, whereas the 6th best will have to play the relegation triangle.

We started of the first set against Basingstoke strongly and quite quickly wrestled a five-point lead from the opponents. From there, the game went back and forth, but we managed to keep the lead and even build onto it up to a score of roughly 17:10 if I'm not mistaken. From then on the game picked up in intensity and Basingstoke were coming at us like Berserks, determined to reverse the fortune and successfully so, it has to be said, because our lead was quickly whithering as we felt the pressure and started to show our nerves. It was not uncommon for our team in the past to start strong and then give away the lead because we can't cope with leading a game very well. But fortunately this time we proved ourselves wrong and managed to bring home victory by 25:21. This I believe did us some tremendous good, because we now know that we can handle that kind of pressure if we have to.

The second set was then over incredibly quick. We pulled away again from the start and then somehow Basingstoke just faltered... We played up exquisitely if I dare say so, not making a single mistake as far as I can remember, picking up even the most ridiculous balls and playing them back hard at the Lions. Ghislain, who henceforth shall be know as The French Hulk, hitting some particularly demoralising power spikes through 2 and thus securing MVP for this game. In the end, we took the set 25:4 and left with a sense of elation.

Special mention to the MVPs, the refs, our new libero Seb, David's premiere as an outside attacker, but also generally to the whole team because everyone has been playing really well and was standing up with great commitment to the pressure both mentally and physically (ever heard of the expression "pants on fire"? My short actually melted in a dive, I kid you not!)

So all in all a very good weekend for Oxford Mens 2, who manage to maintain rank 5 in the league, but who are now just as close to 4th place than we are to 6th place, which makes it quite clear which direction we shall be facing from now on... :-)

(written by Dan)

Men's 1 continue winning run in 2012!

2012-01-10T11:53:00.003Z

On Sunday 8 January 2012, the Men's 1 team had their first league fixtures. Freshly back from the December and New-Year’s break a seven-strong team travelled in style to Aldershot to play the third and fourth team in the league: Maidenhead and Farnborough. Oxford team for the day, in estimated order of appearance: Jon, Rune, Martijn, Steve, Gabriele, Lukasz and Gérard.

First match against Maidenhead: They had some new faces in their team which worked well for them, as they took advantage of a few too many mistakes on our side. At times we played well, and we saved the best for last which was a little too late. Jon served a few aces and from 14-22 behind we came back to 21-24 only to lose the first set 21-25. We continued playing well at the start of the second set, although some inconsistency in most aspects of our game gave them the chance to stay in the set. At 16-16, Martijn served 5 times in a row to take the lead, and although we gave them a few more points to make it 24-22, we won the third set, 25-22. And so our first decider of the New Year. We gave them a two-point head start, but that was it. Only Jon, Gerard and Martijn served in the third set to win comfortably and deservedly 15-6, winning the match 2-1. MVP as voted by them: Jon!

Second match against Farnborough: We had beaten them twice already this season and were very keen to make it a hatrick. As we had a good ‘warm-up’ against Maidenhead, we got started straight away. They played their usual 1-2-3 formation at reception and 3-1-2 in defence. Our blocking was up to a high level and so they struggled to make their points, while we defended well. At 15-7 ahead, we continued at cruise control to win the set 25-15. As usual, the second set was a closer affair. Our blocking and defence remained good, and we were up one or two points most of the set. At 17-17, it went pretty much point for point and 24-24 we made the side out and, with some good work on the net, we won the next point to win 26-24 and the match 2-0. MVP as voted by them: Martijn!

(written by Martijn)

First training sessions in the new year

2012-01-03T23:20:00.005Z

Men 1 and 2

Men 1 and 2 have their first technical training on Wednesday 4 January from 8.30pm to 10.30pm at St Greg's.

Ladies 1 and 2

The ladies' technical training takes place on Monday 9 January from 7pm to 9pm at our new venue Oxford High School in Summertown.

Social Thursday trainings

Our first mixed social training is on Thursday 5 January from 8pm to 10pm at Headington Girls' School. The hall is then closed for exams, so the social sessions will start again on Thursday 9 February.

For more information about training sessions, see our club calendar

Men 1 Christmas Champions

2012-01-03T23:09:00.004Z

On 18 December, Men 1 played their last matches of 2011 in Headington School Oxford. Let out to play for Oxford were Gérard, Jeremy, Jon, Martijn, Rune, Steve, Lukasz, Neil.

First match against Farnborough (also known as the team with the Polish twins): For this match, they had brought some of their female players, allegedly to put us off somehow. We got off to a flying start thanks to a good warm-up and focus (mainly on volleyball). Steve served 8 times in a row to get us 13-5 ahead. Farnborough got back to 14-10 and a time-out was in order to get everyone back playing normal again. From there, we continued our good level of volleyball with some fine blocking and ‘dig, set, spike’ all around. We closed off the set comfortably at 25-19. The second set saw the debut in the bva league for Lukasz. A usual slow starting second set gave Farnborough the lead. From 5-1 down to 6-5 up, we trailed again at 11-15. We then brought on our super-sub and turned things on again. Lukasz got into the swing of it and started to hit as we know he can. Some more blocking (including one from Jon) caused them big trouble. At 19-19, we scored 6 points against their 4 to win the second set 25-23 and the match 2-0. MVP as voted by them: Martijn.

Second match against Oxford 2: They wanted revenge from a few weeks ago, and they even called up a new libero to do so. We had a good start again, and took an early lead 8-4. Only for them to get back and taking advantage to finish some points gave them the lead 15-12. We traded points until at 18-20 behind, Jeremy served 7 points in a row, while his team mates blocked and finished the points to win us the first set 25-20. In the second set we changed things around a bit and it was a tight and at times a scrappy affair of Sunday evening volleyball. Oxford 2 was up 1 or 2 points for most of the match until 18-18. We went ahead 20-18, only to let them come back and ahead to 20-21, then 21-21, 22-21, 22-22, 24-22, 24-24, 25-24, 25-25, 27-25! Second set and match is ours 2-0. Perhaps not the best match to watch by the crowd up in the stands, but certainly a nail-biter. One more Oxford 1 vs 2 clash left which is scheduled for 1 April (no joke). MVP as voted by them: Gérard.

(written by Martijn)

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2012 !!

2012-01-01T15:50:00.000Z

We wish you a Happy New Year 2012 !!!

Club Christmas Party

2011-12-16T20:17:00.003Z

I hope that you look forward to our fantastic, amazing, and unbeatable Vollox Christmas Party THIS SATURDAY!

WHERE:

Maite & Dan’s house

WHEN:

Saturday 17th December from 7pm till Sunday morning

WHAT TO BRING:

Food: Maite is away this week, which means that she will not have time to prepare any food. We need too bring it all (which has worked really well in the past). Can you please let me know what you want to bring so that I can coordinate what is missing? If you don’t know what to bring ask me.

Drinks: Bring anything that you fancy (alcoholic and non-alcoholic). I will prepare a “Christmas Punch on Fire” (Feuerzangenbowle).

Presents: We do Secret Santa! However, this will be slightly different compared to last years. How it works: Have a look around your home and find something that you don’t need and that is of some value to others. Wrap it nicely and bring it along.

HELPERS:

We need people who can help prepare the house for the party on Saturday. Can you let me know when you are available, please?

SLEEP OVER:

There is space so people are welcome to sleep over.

Please let MAITE know!

WHAT TO DO NOW:

- respond to me that you are coming, what you bring, and if you can help decorating

- find a present and wrap it

- look forward to the party

WHAT TO DO ON SUNDAY:

Men’s 1 & 2 play against each other at Headington Girls School on Sunday at 6pm. Come and watch!

Watch Men 2 in action

2011-12-15T11:02:00.003Z

Can't get enough of volleyball? Check out these videos with Men 2:

Oxford 2 v Spikeos
First set
Second set

Oxford 2 v Reading University
First set
Second set
Third set

Enjoy!

Support Annika bobsleighing her way down in Austria

2011-12-14T09:43:00.005Z

Our beloved Ladies 1 team captain, Annika Voss, is feeling particularly brave this Christmas. She has taken on the challenge together with six other people to compete in a 'two man bobsled' against the Royal Airforce, during their 'Novice Week'.

The charity event is taking place in Igls, Austria this week.

Annika's team is raising money for the RAF Benevolent Fund and Help for Heroes. Please help them raise as much money as possible by donating on their justgiving page.

For daily updates, photos and videos, check out their Facebook page.

Best of luck to Annika!

Mixed Game - Winning Spree !!

2011-12-12T08:38:00.005Z

Goood morning People,

I am glad to announce that the Mixed team won both games yesterday while playing @ Headington. We were happy to have a few supporters, but if you couldn't make it I have summarised the games below.

The team playing was Karina (setter), Helen (4), Anna (4), Kerstin (4 & 2), Simon (3), Cornelius (3 & 4), David (3) & myself (2).

Our first game was against Farnborough. From the start we could see (hear ???) that the "will to
win" was on court. Both teams got told off for being a bit "too noisy" between points... We had a good start, made the difference during the game and won with a large point difference the first set (25-11), mainly due to nice passing, excellent setting and strong finishes (including a few balls within the 3 meters from our middle players...). Again, the second set started well (12-6) but then Farnborough managed to gather up and caught back with us (14-12) forcing us to take a timeout. It was clearly needed for gathering up, and it worked ! We finished the set with the final score 25-18. Again both teams showed that they had fun playing, and the spirit on court was great. The MVP title went to Karina for her amazing job at setting.

The second game was tougher and we had to improve again our level, facing a strong team of Newbury. The beginning of the first set was in our advantage (10-6), then Newbury caught back (16-15 and then 18-18). The end of the set was clearly intense & we had 3 set point (24-21). But Newbury fought on every points, caught back with us & our increasing pressure, and finally won the first set 26-24 ... This was enough to bring our "will to win" back. Second set started with a good service run (7-2) but again Newbury showed their strength was in catching back points by points (15-14). But this time, unlike the previous set we kept clear thoughts and did not let them play the same way, fighting and blocking all balls. We won the set 25-19. And we were ready for the 3rd set: strong start at service putting us far ahead for the side change (8-3) and then finished quickly the set (15-6). I am proud to say I got the MVP title for this one ( :p ) maybe just for being annoying enough...

Men 1 win first-ever league clash against Men 2

2011-12-08T20:24:00.004Z

On Sunday 4 December, the Men 1 team were out to win two more matches in division 1 of the bva league. To do this, we had Rune, Jeremy, Steve, Jon, Gabriele, Gerard, Martijn + plus a bunch of fans pledging their allegiance to the 1st team!

Team 2 still warm from the previous match took the first points on serve. We then woke up and started playing our game. A good service run from the only Frenchman in OVC Men 1 got us in a 17-11 lead. From there we never looked back and thanks to some good blocking and finishing of points we went on to win the first set 25-15. In the 2nd set, OVC Men 2 were looking for revenge and we got a bit sloppy. The level of our blocking and defence went down and they took advantage of this by taking the lead early on and extending this from 15-11 to 19-13. Then we won a couple of good points and believed that we could still win the set. A 7-point service run from Gabriele, with some good pickups and hits, got us back in the game at 22-22. Then we got some help from the referee and we won 25-23. It was not the best way to win a match, but we still won the match 2-0. I am sure they will be out for revenge on Sunday 18 December when we play again in Headington. MVP for us was Rune!

Our second match was against Maidenhead. They had only lost one match so far this season, so we were prepared for a strong opposition. From the start, we took the initiative by serving well and some good blocking against some powerful hitting. We took the lead at 7-2 and never gave it away to win the 1st set 25-17. Due to injury, they played with a ‘ghost’ player for the whole of the second set. This seemed to confuse us more than it did them! They were a couple of points ahead for most of that set until the business end at 19-19. We finished the important points with some good defensive play and then Jon served the last 3 points to win 25-20! MVP: Gabriele!

Mixed Results - Lack of Luck...

2011-11-28T09:30:00.004Z

Just a quick summary of our games yesterday.
Unfortunately we cannot add a new victory to our results.
The team playing was composed of Anna, Kerstin, Annika, Karina, Simon, Felipe, Corne & Ghislain.

The first game was against Spikeos. Not a lot to say apart from the general smell of beer on court... (Mainly due to the previous day Housewarming @ Kerstin's...). We were ahead for the whole set and we had 3 set points (24-21) but then Spikeos caught back. and won the set (27/25). The second set was not in our favor this time and Spikeos won 25/17 even if we were fighting tight each point. The MVP went to Ghislain for a few intense dives and pick ups (including a pancake...) which caused, in the end, a few bruises.

The second game has a similar scenario with different scores. The final score was 25/23 & 25/22 for Maidenhead. The level of the game was good, we again enjoyed playing together and we have nothing to be ashamed of: passing, setting and attack... Everything was clean. I think we were lacking luck to finish the points, and Maidenhead did not give us any easy points. The MVP went to Anna this time for her good saves & strong hits often putting Maidenhead in difficulty.

PS: Kerstin has a part of responsibility in all of this as she got organised a wonderful housewarming party the night before where 6 out of 8 players were present ... :) :) :)

Men 1 keep on winning!

2011-11-21T17:11:00.006Z

On a misty Sunday evening, Team Men 1 hosted Reading University and Farnborough Vipers in Headington. The Oxford squad existed of: Rune, Steve, Jeremy, Jon, Martijn, Gabriele, and also saw the return of Gerard and Neil. Lukasz is curing his elbow, and we hope it gets better soon!

First game against Farnborough, last season's runners up in the league. We started the game on a high, with some solid blocking in the middle and our right side - we even had some three men blocks on their main hitters to which they had no answer. We supplemented the blocking with good passing and hitting to make it an all round great volleyball game from our side. Steve served eight points in a row to give us a 17-5 lead! We won the first set comfortably 25-13. In the second set we let them back in the game, with a combination of some mistakes on our side and better play from them. Despite a good fight back from 17-23 down, we narrowly lost the set 23-25. In the deciding set, we had a good start and we continued with some strong blocking. We got into the lead, although this never got bigger than 2 points. At 14-14 we kept our nerve, and with some good defensive play we closed out the set 16-14! MVP: Martijn

Our second game was against Reading University, who had earlier taken Farnborough to a third set. We started a little slow but, by the time Rune served seven points in a row, we had a comfortable 19-9 lead. We played organised against an opposition that struggled with the pressure we put them under, and we won the first set 25-11. In the second set, we lost our focus at times, and never really got out of second gear. Perhaps this was caused by the distraction of their new (female) outside player. We still managed to finish the points when we had to and won the second set 25-19. MVP: Rune

Next matches on 4 December in Headington - OVC history will be made! Men's 1 v Men's 2. The first time OVC Men's teams clash in the BVA league!

(written by Martijn; photo by Hanna)

Ladies 1 continue their winning streak

2011-11-14T18:40:00.005Z

Their second fixture of the season saw Ladies 1 take on Spikeopaths Ladies (which was a friendly) and Basingstoke Lioness.

The team started strong in the first game against Spikeos and took the first set easily. Coach Jon looked happy and praised his team with bold statements like "I've never seen you play this well." The second set started equally well, with everybody serving well and giving their setter Maite consistently good passes to work with. The team had a minor blip when Spikeos got a short run of good serves but recovered quickly and finished the game off in the second set.

The second game against Basingstoke started equally well and there was never any doubt about who was going to win the first set. Again the second set was a little more challenging when Basingstoke started defending a little more efficiently. However, Oxford's strength and excellent teamwork never gave their opposition a real chance and they took the game home in two sets. Jon's final quote of the day: "I'm happy"

MVP went to Maite in the first game and Klaudia in the second.

(written by Annika)

Men 2 - A day of drama

2011-11-14T16:25:00.006Z

Outside: Richard, Sultan and Dan
Middle: Vivien and David
Opposite: Ghislain
Setter: Sam

1st match against Maidenhead – an eye opener – most of our team had never experienced the speed and power of their constant hits and serves. Under their jump serves, our reception was completely shattered. 1st set was a disaster: 10:25.

2nd set started with Maidenhead’s a player missing. Penalised a point. With that interval, we were slowly picking up. With many of the opponent’s hitting into the net, the pressure on us was less daunting and we managed to close the scores: 21:25. A bit of drama with the referee, who was very harsh on our double touches until Captain Sam protested he should be fair to the other team as well.

Our one and only Richard got his first MVP nomination!

2nd match against Reading Uni was THE exciting roller-coaster experience. They had a full squad this time and was in the lead in the first set. We started slowly but not in a panic state. The drama started with the referee again who was extremely harsh on double touches first on our side, then on the other side too. We lost 20:25.

2nd set was a complete change of scene. Our reception started beautifully. Ghislain got all his confidence back and every single passing was perfect. Vivien, Sultan, David all received well. Vivien and David completely sealed the opposition’s attacks. Dan did a flying dig, which stunned everyone! Reading Uni completely lost their form; they were hitting out or into the net. Then, Sam, Ghislain and Vivien added icing on the cake with a few aces. We finished them off 25:12.

3rd set. Reading Uni’s serving was not strong and our reception again was brilliant. We carried on the momentum and was in the lead when changing sides. We got to 11:8 then suddenly due to a few mistakes of our own, Reading Uni came back 11:11. From then on, it was ‘you win one, we win one’. The atmosphere was incredibly intense. It seems to have dragged on forever. But we held our nerves. Again Ghislain’s passing and defence, Sultan and Vivien’s hitting, Vivien and David’s blocking, all worked wonderfully. We won: 21:19. Ladies and Gentlemen, imagine the blissful joy and exhaustion: the hall was filled with our noise!

Simon (can you believe it?) did not play at all, but he was nominated as MVP for this match! Happy Birthday, Simon!

(written by Sam)

Men 1 win again!

2011-11-14T15:38:00.003Z

For the second round of matches for the Men 1 team, we travelled to Loddon Valley in Reading to play against Spikeopaths 1 and Basingstoke. The Oxford team consisted of Steve, Rune, Jon, Jeremy, Martijn and new recruit Gabriele.

In a warm hall and a very springy floor, we dispatched Basingstoke straight forward in 2 sets (25-9, 25-17). Good passing, serving and some nice hits through the middle could not be answered by Basingstoke. MVP: Jeremy!

We knew the next match would be more difficult against last season's league winners, Spikeopaths. After we gave them a 5-1 head start, we served, blocked and defended them off the court to win the first set in style 25-13. Rune served 8 points in a row and Gabriele 6! In the second set we let them back in the game and made a few mistakes. However, passing and blocking continued at a high level. From 15-15 we traded point for point, and at 24-23 we got our first match point. After 9 match points we could still not finish the set, and eventually gave it away 32-34. There was not sufficient space on the score sheet for all these points! We picked ourselves up and with strong mental 'bouncability', at least 3 'Stonewall' blocks and some excellent all-round volleyball we won the third set 15-5! MVP: Gabriele!

Bring on next weekend!

(written by Martijn)

Ladies 2 - looking good for the season!

2011-11-14T08:07:00.004Z

Ladies 2 played two of the best teams in the league yesterday. Although we lost to Farnborough Devils (25-23, 25-19) and Maidenhead (25-14, 25-20), these scorelines do not reflect how well we played as a team, especially considering that we not only had two new players on the outside, but also had two new setters! Anna and Annette did an amazing job - without having trained together or with the team, they managed to give the hitters some fabulous sets. Giulia and Kathleen did some sterling work on the outside. MVPs were Nathalie for her work in the middle, and Hanna for some great passing and hits.

Support Ladies 2 on Sunday!

2011-11-11T08:49:00.002Z

Ladies 2 take on Maidenhead Ladies and Farnborough Devils at home on Sunday 13 November - come along and watch what should be some pretty good matches! We'll be on court from about 6.15 pm onwards.

Come and support the mixed team in their first match of the season!

2011-11-03T22:32:00.003Z

The mixed team are playing their first match of the season at home on Sunday 6 November. Come along and watch them take on Basingstoke Mixed and Newbold Mixed. We are reffing the first match at 5 pm and will be on court for our two matches from about 6 pm.

See you there!

First games of the season

2011-10-18T11:35:00.003+01:00

The BVA League season has started and 4 Oxford teams were in action Sunday 16 October.

OVC Men Team 1 got off to a great start in the BVA league

The Mens 1 team started their campaign in Basingstoke, trying to improve on their Bronze medal from last season. The OVC team mainly represented by the usual suspects: Rune, Neil, Gerard, Steve, Jon, Martijn, but also a welcome debut from Jeremy.

The 1st match against Reading University. We played very steady and consistent in the first set and won 25-7. In the second set we gave a few points away but managed to keep our level up to win 25-12. We played some good volleyball and especially Rune and Jeremy in the middle put away some nice hits. MVP as voted by the opposition: Martijn.

The 2nd match against Basingstoke. This team had some more hitting power, which we matched and exceeded by some 'early season' signs of confidence and good defence within the team! A good all-round performance got us the 2-0 victory, with great team spirit and trust on court. Steve excelled in his newly found position as opposite and was voted MVP. Set scores: 25-17, 25-18.

It is early days, but we are top of the table!

Thursday club training now closed to new players

2011-10-17T13:37:00.003+01:00

Our Thursday club trainings have proved such a success that we're now struggling to cater for all the people who want to play. Unfortunately this means we can no longer accept new players (whether you're new to the club or a friend of existing players).

We'll reassess the situation after Christmas, so please get in touch in the New Year if you want to play.

If you're an experienced player and are interested in joining our competitive teams, please contact us.

No club training this Thursday

2011-10-17T12:12:00.003+01:00

As the sports hall isn't available this week, we've had to cancel Thursday's club training.

The ladies' training session is still going ahead on Wednesday (at St Gregs, 8.30pm to 10.30pm).