By David Berry

This weekend saw a watershed moment in Volleyball Horsham history when its state league one men’s team recorded its first win of the season, while the women moved back to top spot on the ladder.

The men split their round-10 results with the Western Region Wolves, while the women scored two wins against Melbourne Uni Renegades White.

Heat men’s captain Noah Werry said the win demonstrated the improvement the team had made this season.

“We could see the team was improving as each game went by and a big well done to the entire list for getting the win,” he said.

“I couldn’t be prouder of the group for its effort and commitment to the cause.”

Werry said things were not looking all that flash after dropping the first set 20-25, but up stepped team veteran Dimitrios Vettos.

“Dman showed what it meant to him, by his efforts and encouragement for his teammates as we took the second set 25-21 and then carried that momentum into the third winning 25-12,” he said.

Werry said the fourth set result showed just how far his team had come as it managed to show great fight with scores locked at 24-24, 26-26 and 28-28, eventually winning 30-28.

“That was nerve racking but we managed to get those last two points when it counted amid scenes of euphoria by the group and supporters,” he said.

Werry said the team could not replicate its morning efforts in the afternoon game, going down in four sets.

“We made some bad errors in that second game, which we will learn from to ensure that won’t happen again,” he said.

A plucky young Renegades team gave its all against the Heat women, who had to dig deep to record a four-set win in their early game, before showing their true colours in the second game and winning in straight sets.

Team captain Laelah Robertson said securing the two wins was important as they look to finish as high as possible on the ladder.

“We gave everyone on our list the opportunity to play on the weekend, which was good as we saw promising signs from the likes of Serena Johns, Ingrid Ellis, Alex Bebero and Lucinda Ferguson,” she said.

“Getting that exposure won’t hurt going forward, as we press for higher honours, because it is going to take our entire list to achieve what we have set ourselves for.”

Robertson said both teams would enjoy a well-earned break over the next two weeks before switching their focus towards Heidelberg on the 50th anniversary weekend on July 11.

“That will be a massive day for our teams and the association and we want to make sure we are well prepared for Heidelberg and show exactly what we are made of,” she said.

“I can’t wait and I know all involved with the Heat program share the same sentiment.”

Holiday program

Registrations are rolling in for the school holiday program with Volleyball Horsham Heat players.

Four, one-hour sessions for both boys and girls will be held on Tuesdays and Wednesdays of the school holidays, with girls 9.30-10.30am and boys 10.30-11.30am at St Brigid’s College Horsham stadium.

Registrations are essential as spots are limited to 24 boys and 24 girls in total.

Visit the Volleyball Horsham socials for registration details.

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