Oxford Volleyball Club

Vote for the most valuable players of the year!

2012-05-24T09:40:00.001+01:00

It's time again to vote for the most valuable players of the year.

How it works

Choose one player that you think has made the most difference to the team or training session – whether it's their skills or attitude. You can vote in as many categories as you like – for example, even if you play in a men's team, you may have seen the ladies play. And if you only come to Thursdays, choose one player that you think has done really well during the that session.

What are the categories?

• Ladies 1 team player

• Ladies 2 team player

• Men 1 team player

• Men 2 team player

• Mixed team player

• Thursday team player

• Most improved player

What else?

And if you can remember any funny moments, we may have a prize for that too.

Where do I send my vote?

Send your votes to neil_r_smith@hotmail.com by midnight Friday 25 May.

Outdoor training on 17, 24, 31 May and 14 June

2012-05-17T16:13:00.000+01:00

Unfortunately we've had to cancel our Thursday indoor training sessions at Headington on 17, 24 and 31 May, and 14 June. The school urgently needs to use the hall for exams.

Outdoor training

Instead, we'll be playing outdoors in Davenport Gardens in Headington between 7pm and 9pm (weather permitting).

To get to Davenport gardens from the sports hall, go around the sports hall and meet up with the path that runs east–west through the school. Turn left on the path and follow the path to the end (past the tennis courts). The path runs out but simply keep following the direction. You will enter a semi-secluded 'garden' surrounded by trees. The volleyball net is on blue posts to the right just as you enter the garden.

Oxford Mixed - Final Fixture & Conclusion

2012-05-02T19:21:00.000+01:00

Good morning,
This will be the final match report for the mixed team as we played Sunday 22nd the final fixture of the season against Newbury & Newbold College. On arrival, we had the pleasure to discover the "lovely" sports hall of Newbold College: Dark & cold ... (And I also had the pleasure to discover I forgot my volley shoes but it did not cause troubles as my other shoes were good enough...)

1st Game - Newbury Vs. Oxford Mixed

The net was up when we arrived, but the receiving team had not enough players present & Newbury & us had to provide Line Judges. The intial team on court was Annika, Kerstin, Helen, Felipe (setter), Corne & myself. The first set started at our advantage, getting the lead very early and increasing it up to 16-12, but then Newbury caught back, took the league, & even if we took a timeout at 20-18, they finishd the first set ahead 25-19.
For the second set, Simon made his first apparition for us, swapping with Felipe, & Anna joined in, swapping with Helen. This time Newbury took the lead quickly up to 10-6, they then maintained their advance up to 20-14. But at this point a new team spirit built up between us & we reduced the point difference to 21-19. Unfortunately, it was not enough, & Newbury won the second set 25-22.
Kerstin got the MVP again for her very usual reliability & strong hits.

2nd Game - Newbold College Vs. Oxford Mixed

For this game, the initial 6 was Felipe, Annika, Simon, Anna, Helen & myself. The speed of game was very slow but we managed to secure quickly a comfortable advance up to 18-10. We slowed down our play but there was no turning back from Newbold & we won the set 25-20.
For the second set, Annika & myslef were on the bench, replaced by Corne & Kerstin. Again the speed of the game was very slow and we were struggling to establish our usual level. This time no team took a definite advantage: 3-36, 10-8, 12-11, 14-14 ... 23-22. 23-23. 24-24. 25-25... We made the final effort, scored the final 2 points & won the second set 27-25.
Simon got the MVP title this time, being our very strong blocker on his first fixture !

So these 2 games conclude a very nice season with highs & lows, allowing us to finish 4th of the league, with "only" 9 points difference with the Winner of the season - Spikeopaths Mixed 1.

Team	P	W	L	F	A	Pts
Spikeopaths Mixed 1	16	14	2	30	7	44
Maidenhead Mixed	16	13	3	27	11	40
Newbury Mixed	16	11	5	26	12	37
Oxford Mixed	16	11	5	24	16	35
Spikeopaths Mixed 2	16	6	10	19	23	25
Basingstoke Mixed	16	7	9	16	23	23
Farnborough Lions	16	5	11	14	25	19
Spikeopaths Mixed 3	16	2	14	8	28	10
Newbold Mixed	16	3	13	9	28	10	*

I would like to thank all the people that have helped me & played for Oxford this year, it has always be very nice to play with you. And we will surely have an even better season next year !!

Where's the outdoor net?

2012-04-25T10:51:00.002+01:00

May's fast approaching, summer's on its way, plans for outdoor tournaments are in full swing, and we're all hugely excited. There's just one little hitch – no one seems to know where our outdoor net is.

Please can you all rack your brains and try and remember who had it last? If you've ever taken the net home with you, please can you double-check garages, sheds, under the bed, wherever it might have got to? We don't want to have to spend club funds on another net when there is a perfectly good one out there somewhere.

If you have it, or if you have any idea where it might be, please get in touch with Helen. It won't be a proper summer without an outdoor net!

Ladies 2 finish their season with a win

2012-04-16T17:01:00.005+01:00

Ladies 2 had a tough task to accomplish to avoid playing relegation games. Not only did they have to win their last two games against Farnborough and Basingstoke (currently second and third in the league), they also had to rely on Ladies 1 to win both their games against the other two bottom teams.

With three new players (two of them on loan from Oxford Brookes and Wimbledon for the day) and some of the regulars not playing in their normal positions, it was going to be an interesting challenge. On court for the day were Helen, Chrissie, Anna, Marika, Jana, Hanna and Giulia.

Oxford 2 v Basingstoke

We needed the first set to find our feet and get to know each other. But it didn’t take long before things starting falling into place. Anna excelled in her new position as setter, and Marika provided flawless back-court defence. We lost the first set by only a few points, but knew we stood a good chance to change things in the second set.

Just as we had hoped, we went ahead early on in the second set and never lost the lead. Helen came on as an outside player and scored some great points, and Jana provided an excellent 6’4’’ block that was hard to get past. We won the second set comfortably 25-13.

The tiebreak was considerably more intense and, at 14-11 to Basingstoke, Neil and injured Tati (who came along as moral support) could hardly sit still. But the team kept calm, and with five excellent serves from Anna, we turned things around and won the game 16-14.

2-1 to Oxford. MVP: Anna.

Farnborough v Oxford 2

Farnborough is an excellent team who know each other very well and pick up practically everything – and today was no different. A solid Oxford block and great cover allowed us to stay in the game, and we lost the first set by only a few points, 22-25.

In the second set, we had some amazing, long rallies with everybody giving it all – Chrissie seemed to pick up all the tips behind the setter, Giulia passed exceptionally and Marika got some great hits in. Unfortunately we didn’t manage to kill the ball, and we lost the second set by at least ten points. Nevertheless, it was probably the best we had ever played and no one could feel disappointed with the performance, even if the result didn’t flatter us.

2-0 to Farnborough. MVP: Hanna

Special thanks to Jana and Marika, who helped us out and were exceptional. Chrissie also deserves a special mention – even though this was her first game with us, her calm and positive attitude made her a natural choice as game captain.

Ladies 1 finish the season in style despite their first loss in two seasons

2012-04-16T12:05:00.005+01:00

Due to some of our players being away this weekend, we had a few guest players to make up the team – thank you to Klaudia, Sam and Karolina for helping out today!

Oxford 1 v Maidenhead

Our first game was against Maidenhead and we were quietly confident about beating them as we did the first 2 times we played them this season. However, it turned out that we needed the first set to find our feet and get used to playing together. Combined with Maidenhead's solid defense, this meant we were trailing behind from the beginning. At some point Maidenhead were leading by 10 points so we did well to come back with a bit more strength to reduce their lead to 4 points but they still took the set 25:21.

We started the second set equally tentative and found ourselves 7 points down at 18:11. At this point Maidenhead started struggling with their receive and 14 (!) consecutive serves later, we took the second set 25:18.

Unfortunately we didn't quite manage to carry the momentum over to the third set, which meant Maidenhead again got the early lead. We did put up a good fight towards the end of the set, swapping match points for a bit but Maidenhead kept the upper hand and took the set 18:16. MVP Annika (for the 14 serves…).

Spikeos v Oxford 1

We went straight into the second game against Spikeos. We started a little slow matching each other point for point. At 8–8 however, we took control and started getting ahead. Spikeos tried to get level but couldn't cope with Maïté's serving – her 10 consecutive serves took us all the way to the end of the set, which we won 25:13.

In the second set we didn't manage to get that vital lead and the whole set was fairly level. Spikeos got away right at the end and took the set 26:24.

We knew we had to put the pressure on from the beginning in the third set and everything finally came together and a 5-point service run from Nela at 8:5 gave us the advantage and confidence we needed to finish it off 15:7. MVP Annika (still for the previous game's 14 serves I think :)…).

Spikeos v Maidenhead

Maidenhead and Spikeos also had a great three-set game – it looked like Spikeos were always just that little bit ahead but Maidenhead pulled it off in a very close third set, having defended a match point, to win 2:1.

Two really enjoyable games, despite our first loss in two seasons! Well played everybody, especially our guest players – we couldn't have done it without them!

Oxford Mens 2 - Last Fixture Vs Basingstoke & Oxford Mens 1

2012-04-06T23:23:00.001+01:00

If you haven't been able to come & support, or if you want to review these awsome games I let you all enjoy the videos extracted from the last 2 games of the season between Oxford Mens 2 & Basingstoke and Oxford Mens 1.
As a reminder, Oxford Mens 2 beat Basingstoke 2-1, and Oxford Mens 1 beat Oxford Mens 2 2-1. We will have to play the relegation triangular now before the end of April ...

Ox2 Vs Basingstoke - Set 1

Ox2 Vs Basingstoke - Set 2

Ox2 Vs Basingstoke - Set 3

Ox2 Vs Ox1 - Set 1 & 2

Mens' 1 season ends with disappointment

2012-04-04T09:28:00.003+01:00

Sunday 1 April saw the last fixtures of the BVA league season for the Oxford Mens' teams against Basingstoke in Headington. Crowds had shown up in support and everyone was high on excitement and anticipation. The Mens' 1 squad for the day: Steve, Anders, Lukasz, Jon, Rune, Martijn, Neil, Gabriele, Gerard.

Oxford 1 v Oxford 2

First up was the Oxford 1 vs 2 clash. Mens' 1 had a flying start and took control in that set from the start. Some good blocking and defensive work saw the opposition struggle to keep up. 15-11 became 17-13 and then Gabriele served out the set to 25-13.

In the second set it was quite different. The Mens' 1 coach helped team 2 by mixing up the line-up sheet which caused some confusion within the team. We got behind 12-6, and despite a good fight back and some good blocking we could not turn the set around. We came back to 21-23, only to lose the next 2 points.

A deciding set was needed. It was an edgy affair with an even score line and some long rallies including some amazing pick-ups from libero Steve. It was 7-8 for them at the change of ends and they even made it 7-9. A substitution bringing on Gerard gave us some extra energy and Gabriele and Rune served out the match by winning the 3rd set 15-10! MVP: Gabriele!

Oxford 1 v Basingstoke

The second match against Basingstoke would decide the league winners: us or Spikeos. They had brought some new players which strengthened their team considerably and so we needed some time to adjust. We were 2 or 3 points behind for most of the set, and played some good all-round volleyball at times. At 16-19 Lukasz stepped up to serve 6 times in a row to go 22-19 up. Then we lost our composure and struggled to finish the point, and they went on to win the set 23-25.

Some changes were made for the 2nd set and we played consistently better and took full advantage of their mistakes. We were always ahead and when Jon found his serving arm again and Lukasz served 6 points in a row, we were out of sight and won the 2nd set comfortably 25-15.

Another decider, this time to win the league. We did not start well and there were some scrappy exchanges we couldn’t use to our advantage. We had lost our shape from the 2nd set and changed sides 6-8 behind. This became 8-12, and from there we never got back to lose the set 11-15. Despite winning more points in that match we lost it 2-1, hence not winning the league. MVP: Gerard.

Oxford Mens 2 - the show is not over

2012-03-21T23:41:00.002Z

Last Sunday the Oxford mens' team 2 was playing against Maidenhead & Reading University. The results were not the ones expected but we still brought back some points with us.

First game: Oxford Men 2 v Maidenhead

The team on court was Vivien, Sam, Andrey, Simon, Adam and myself, all of us being supported by Robin our Libero (Sebastien being on the bench after his slight thumb sprain during the previous Wednesday training). We got the first service, scored the first point, then Maidenhead scored the second but Sam secured a +5 advance quickly. So far so good, Maidenhead were struggling in getting into the game, and Andrey and Simon used it to increase the advance to a really confortable +8 (11-3). We were clearly concentrating enough to play well, & Robin was doing his defensive job nicely, allowing Sam to distribute the balls to our power hitters. The set ended up quickly in 16 minutes 25-15 for us.

No change was done on the main line for the second set, but this time, Maidenhead was much more present, fighting for all the points, pushing the balls in the corners and in the holes and holding tight to the score. There was no more than 1 point difference up to 9-9, and we took the lead up to 14-10. However, it was without counting on Maidenhead's will to win and they caught back 15-14, forcing Sam to take the first timeout of the game. Our concentration was going away, and Maidenhead used it to their advantage, increasing the point difference up to 19-16. I think the team gave up the set at this point, and we finally lost the second set 25-19.

So we were on for the 3rd set. No change again to the team on court. We unfortunately had to put Vivien on the bench (replaced by Mark) after a bad reception after a jump. After winning the first set, we had no reason to believe we couldn't beat them. The beginning of 3rd set was like the previous one, really intense, and every point was fought for. We unfortunately had to put Vivien on the bench (replaced by Mark) after a bad reception after a jump at 3-3: Ankle sprain. But this time, we made the effort and secured the side changes at 5-8. Maidenhead recovered the service, scored another point but we re increased our advance to 11-7. A few more points, and it was 13-8. And again, we had a bit of a bad moment, and we started to fear that Maidenhead were coming back: 13-12... "It's all in the head ..." and we recovered the service : 14-12. Our first game point! Strong team spirit from Maidenhead and they scored again: 14-13. But I am happy to announce it was their last serve, and we finished the 3rd set 15-13, winning the game! The MVP title went to Robin for his amazing reliability as a libero, helping our setter Sam to distribute the balls.

Second game: Oxford 2 v Reading University

For the second game the team on court was the same, but I was playing libero (for the first time in my life!) and Robin was playing off-setter. Reading started quite strongly, but we were present, avoiding the point difference to increase. But the overall level of play was quite messy, preventing any of the teams to take advantage on the other: 5-6, 10-9, 11-13, 16-13. The turn of the game happened 17-16. The rallies were still messy, and the luck we had so far (helping us to keep no point difference) disappeared completly. And their number 5 finished the set scoring 6 points in a row. Reading University won the first set 25-18.

No change on the lineup for the 2nd set. But unfortunately, again we were not consistent in our game and Reading Uni used it against us. They increased the point difference quickly to reach a secured 11-6, and even more 16-9 (when Sam took our second timeout). They had a strong team spirit and our moral was down, leading us to make mistakes due to lack of confidence, lack of talking and lack of concentration. The final result was not much different from the 1st set and we lost 25-17. Simon got the MVP for this game as his presence at the block helped us not to be more beaten.

So in the league now, we are still fighting for the participation to the triangular. Not the best position but still defendable. So the show is not over...

Team	P	W	L	F	A	Pts
Oxford Mens 1	16	15	1	30	7	45
Spikeopaths Mens 1	16	14	2	30	5	44
Maidenhead Mens 1	16	10	6	24	13	34
Farnborough Vipers	16	8	8	18	18	26
Basingstoke Lions	16	5	11	10	23	15
Oxford Mens 2	16	4	12	9	26	13
Reading University	18	1	17	5	34	6

'Oxford rulz'! Double win for Ladies 1

2012-03-15T23:52:00.000Z

On Sunday 4th March Oxford Ladies 1 played at home against Maidenhead and Farnborough. The first game was of course the 2 visiting teams and we were a bit surprised to see Maidenhead take the first set. Farnborough looked more comfortable in the second set but defended a couple of match points before they were able to win it 28:26. They were back on form in the third set, which they won convincingly but the game confirmed what we already knew – our games wouldn't be easy.

Our first game was against Maidenhead who started with strong serving so we started off with 4 points behind. We caught up slowly and really found our game in the second half and managed to take the set 25:18. The second set started much better and we displayed a very consistent performance, winning 25:16. MVP was Magda.

Next up was Farnborough, the only team to take a set off us this season - second in the league, they had only lost to us so far. The set started with neither team managing to break away, almost taking turns to lead by one or two points at the most. Coach Jon took a time out at this point, making sure we knew we had to work harder in order to beat this team. So we did! The blocking by Kerstin and Magda in particular made a huge difference to our defence and brought a newfound confidence to the team. We won the set convincingly 25:19. The second set turned out to be a little harder again and Farnborough managed to get a 2 point lead at 20:18, however another time out gave us the confidence to pull ahead again. Karina deserves a special mention at this point: a perfect tip, excellent net coverage and a fantastic backcourt hit that landed very close to the the opposition's three–metre line. We took the set 25:23 and the game in two sets – excellent result. MVP was Maïté.

A special thank you to our supporters who not only brought along an internationally inspired 'Oxford rulz' banner but also provided some excellent vocal support. Thank you Neil + 1, Andrey, Simon and Dan!
(Game summary posted by Annika Voss)

Oxford Mixed - More points!

2012-03-14T18:34:00.004Z

It is with great pleasure I can announce that the Oxford Mixed team has added another 6 points to its total!

First game: Oxford v Spikeos 2

After a long drive in the sun and a quick warm up we were ready to fight against our direct challengers Spikeos 2 (5th in the league with 20 points). The initial team on court was Karina (setter), Giulia & Helen (outsides), Simon & Corne (middles) and myself (off-setter). A tough start with good fighting from both teams but we took a slight lead 4-3. Then I served to increase the score to 8-5, we got the service again straight after, Helen served another 3 to increase again our advance to 11-6 (first timeout for Spikeos 5-11), and Simon finished to set up the first set by increasing the score to 18-6 (second timeout for Spikeos). The end of the set was a bit more relaxed from our side, and we finished with a comfortable advance of 25-13.

For the second set, I changed slightly the line up, having Annette and Andrey replacing Karina and Corne, Helen playing now middle and Andrey outside. Annette was our setter. This time, Spikeos were much tougher at the start of the game, putting themselves in the lead 3-9 and forcing me to take a timeout. We had some problem passing and we were not on top of our game. The message was clear: "To catch back, we have to start now, point after point, and the first objective is to reduce the score difference to 0!" We didn't start this chase straight as Spikeos carried on scoring, but we were not giving points away: 11-5 for Spikeos. Then we started changing slightly our way of working, I was taking more sets, Andrey started attacking with more strength, and Simon decided that no more balls would pass him at the block. And the advance of Spikeos started reducing: 13-8, 14-11, 15-12, & then ... 16-16! We were back in the game and Spikeos took a timeout at this stage. My message to the team was clear: "We've caught up – now time to finish!". Spikeos took the lead again at this stage 19-18 but we then scored 4 points (mainly because Simon was on fire) in a row bringing us in a good 23-20. We scored the next one 24-20, the Spikeos served and won 3 points, but they didn't score the next one and we won the second set 25-23. The MVP title went to Simon for his blocking spree which lead us to victory.

Second game: Oxford v Spikeos 3

This time, the team on court was Karina and Annette (setters), Helen & Corne (middles) & Andrey & myself (outsides). Spikeos served the first point, scored, and we scored the second. And the first half of the set stayed like this. The level of volleyball we were playing was not our best, but it was enough to keep up: 3-3, then 9-6 for Spikeos, then 11-8, and then back to 12-12 and 14-14. We finally took the lead at this point, deciding it was time to finish: 17-16. Corne served the next 4 points putting us in a stronger lead 21-17, and Karina finished the set 25-17.

For the second set, I was on the bench with Helen, replaced on court by Simon (middle) and Giulia (outside). Again, a slightly dodgy start but we were in the lead quickly 9-7. The main problem was that the team on court was not talking at all, but actually was less messy than Spikeos. The point difference increased again up to 19-10 and at this point there was no turning back from Spikeos. We won the second set in 19 minutes 25-14. Corne got the MVP title for his good presence in the game.

Team	P	W	L	F	A	Pts
Maidenhead Mixed	14	11	3	23	10	34
Spikeopaths Mixed 1	12	10	2	22	7	32
Oxford Mixed	14	10	4	22	14	32
Newbury Mixed	14	9	5	22	12	31
Spikeopaths Mixed 2	14	6	8	17	19	23
Basingstoke Mixed	12	6	6	13	16	19
Farnborough Lions	12	3	9	10	19	13
Newbold Mixed	14	3	11	9	24	10	*
Spikeopaths Mixed 3	14	2	12	7	24	9

The last fixture will decide the final results of the league. It will be tight!

As a treat, and because you've read until the end, you can find attached HERE some pictures taken during the game

OSDS - Lindy Hop and Balboa

2012-03-02T15:49:00.002Z

Because we love volleyball but we can do other things as well, and because dancing is GREAT, let me introduce you to Lindy Hop & Balboa - 20's & 30's swing dances.

The Oxford Swing Dance Society (OSDS) is organising regular weekly classes and weekend workshops around the Oxford area and are always looking for new people to join in and participate - just ask Simon, recently recruited dancer. Check their website: http://www.oxfordswingdance.co.uk/

Contact Ghislain if you want more information.

Mixed Team - Match X18 @ Loddon Valley

2012-02-29T18:23:00.000Z

Good afternoon,

Last Sunday the mixed team played @ Loddon Valley its 6th fixture against Farnborough & Spikeopaths 2 and got good results. This time everyone was in the leisure center in advance, and we even got the team list and the match fees sorted BEFORE the games started !!

1st Game - Oxford Vs. Farnborough
The team on court for the 1st set was Helen, Karina, Corne, Kerstin, Simon & myself. We decided to keep a more offensive set up that Karina would be playing setter, myself playing off-setter. The boys were then covering the center positions, and the girls were covering the outside positions. We received the first service from Farborough, won the point, and scored another 3 points in the row putting us in the lead first at 4-1 & then 9-4, forcing Farnborough to take their first timeout. It had a bad effect on us, and they then reduced our advance to 11-9 forcing me to request a timeout because I could feel the stress building up in our minds. We gathered up an went back into our game, re-increasing our advance to 18-12 (and forcing Farnborough to use their second timeout at 16-9). And this was enough to keep us in the lead until the end. We won the first set 25-19.
The second set of this game saw the first participation of Kathleen to a mixed game (replacing Helen). The second set started on a much tighter basis. Both teams were fighting really hard each points, covering tips, picking up stronger attacks ... We were first in the lead 8-7, but then Farnborough took the lead 12-11, 13-12, 14-14, 15-15. This last score became the turning point of the game because we got stuck in one rotation & Farnborough used our disorganisation to score 3 points in a row, forcing me to take our first timeout. It was effective and we caught back 18-18, then 19-19 ... You would have felt the stress building up. We were then in the lead 21-20... And then at 23-22 Farborough got the turnover. Their number 10 served 3 times ... We lost the second set 25-23.
For the 3rd set I put back on court the initial team, and the pitch was clear: "No time to mess around". I have to say, our team followed the advice. 1-1, 2-2, 5-3 (timeout taken by Farnborough), 8-4, 9-6, 12-8, 14-9, 15-11. 1st game won !
Kerstin got the MVP title doing what she usually does - Being our best asset !

2nd Game - Oxford Vs. Spikeos 2
The team on court was Corne, Karina, Helen, Simon, Kathleen & myself. We head started the first set, being in the lead 6-4 & then 11-8 and it was time for Spikeos to take their 1st timeout. It had a good effect on them and reduced the point difference to an even 12-12 & took the lead 14-13, and increasing their advance to 18-14, at which point I had to take a timeout. I could feel that our team was starting to feel the tiredness from the previous game. We managed to reduce Sipkeos advance 21-19, they took their second timeout at this point, and finished the set in the lead 25-19. They were clearly stronger than us during this set.
It was then time to raise our game to win in 3 sets. Kerstin was back on court, replacing Kathleen. Same type of even start with really long rallies. Spikeos took their first timeout when being led 2-4, turned the score over and forced us to take our first timeout being led 7-10. Each point got fought for by both teams 12-11 for Spikeos, 13-12, 14-14, 17-14 (we took our second timeout at this point), 19-17, 20-19 (Spikeos took their 2nd timeout at this point) ... Pressure was building up clearly, and some amazing rallies were played, not given up by any of the teams. We knew we had to win this set. We took the lead 22-21, then Spikeos caught back 23-23, 24-24 ! It was it: Sudden Death ! Their Nb. 20 was serving. He was scoring on average 4 points in a row when he was serving. He scored the first service & got a match ball. But we kept up and caught back: 25-25. Helen took the service and finished the set !! We won the second set 27-25.
Same team, same speech: "No time to mess around !!" 2 Aces and we were in the lead 3-1. Spikeos caught back 5-5, but we got the side change in the lead 8-6. At this point we made our effort, and increased our lead to 13-10. And this time their was no coming back from the opponent, and we won the 3rd set 15-10.
Simon got the MVP title this time for his front line strong presence on block & attack.

+6 POINTS FOR OXFORD !! We are now 3rd in the league (12 played, 26 points), stuck between Maidenhead (10 played, 25 points) & Newbury (12 played, 27 points) - And there are only 4 more games to play. The end approaches ...

Team	P	W	L	F	A	Pts
Spikeopaths Mixed 1	12	10	2	22	7	32
Newbury Mixed	12	8	4	19	10	27
Oxford Mixed	12	8	4	18	14	26
Maidenhead Mixed	10	8	2	17	6	25
Spikeopaths Mixed 2	12	5	7	15	17	20
Basingstoke Mixed	12	6	6	13	16	19
Farnborough Lions	12	3	9	10	19	13
Spikeopaths Mixed 3	10	1	9	5	18	6
Newbold Mixed	10	2	8	6	18	6

Oxford Mens 2 - Struggle ...

2012-02-26T10:44:00.004Z

Good morning all,

I finally found some time to write about Mens 2 previous fixture.

1st Game - Oxford Vs. Basingstoke
The team on court was Simon, Sam, Richard, David, Sultan & myself as standard players, and Sebastien as Libero. An even start from both teams, no one giving easy points to the others reaching a score of 6-6. Then we got going & scored 5 points in a row, forcing Basingstoke to take a timeout at 6-11. It was needed as they reduced the point difference to 13-14. Once again, we gathered up to re increase that difference to 18-14. This time, no timeout from Basingstoke but just an enormous will to win. And they caught up with us 20-20, forcing Sam to take a timeout. We thought it would be enough as we got the next point, but it was without counting on Basingstoke's determination. I think our old demons came back & we lost our confidence against pressure, allowing them to score in a row the next 5 points. They won the first set 25-21.
The second set started with the same team on court. This time, Basingstoke took a head start, forcing us to take a timeout at 5-11. A few more points and the coach decided to bring some fresh blood on court, swapping Sultan & Mark. Without giving any easy points, we reduced their advance to 2 points: 14-12 and they took a timeout. It was effective, and they increased again their advance to +5 points, advance they would keep until the end of the set and the game. Final score was 25-20 for Basingstoke.

2nd Game - Oxford Vs. Farnborough
A harder game for us against the 3rd of the league led by the Twins. The team on court was Simon, Sam, Richard, Sultan, Sebastien (L) & myself. A rush start from us, forcing their first timeout at 2-5 and then in the lead by 12-5. This is when they started catching back and reduced our advance to 14-11 & then took the lead 17-15. I might repeat myself, but old demons, pressure ... The next score was 22-17 when we decided to bring Sultan back on Richard. But it didn't make a difference and we lost the first set 25-17 after loosing 5 points in a row.
The second set started with Farnborough in a really strong state in the lead 7-3. We then maintained this score difference for the rest of the set: 13-9, 15-11, 18-14. In the end, I think we lost our confidence in making a come back, and Farnborough used it to finish the set & game 25-18.

We're now fighting not to be in the last triangular, and we will need wins to manage this...

Team	P	W	L	F	A	Pts
Oxford Mens 1	16	15	1	30	7	45
Spikeopaths Mens 1	16	14	2	30	5	44
Farnborough Vipers	16	8	8	18	18	26
Maidenhead Mens 1	12	7	5	17	11	24
Basingstoke Lions	14	4	10	8	20	12
Oxford Mens 2	14	3	11	7	23	10
Reading University	14	0	14	2	28	2

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!