Reds Volleyball Association representatives have hit the court for the 2023 Scape Australian Volleyball Super League (AVSL) season. A new, exciting format of indoor volleyball has been implemented for the national league competition in 2023 with 6 male and 6 female teams battling it out for national glory.
Match format changes including power-plays featuring double-points for each rally, 18-point sets and no timeouts have aimed to captivate spectator and broadcast audiences in a faster version of the game.
The Perth Steel have hosted the New South Wales Phoenix, Queensland Pirates and Melbourne Vipers in the opening three rounds of the competition and will now hit the road for a double-header against the Adelaide Storm and Canberra Heat this weekend. The Steel Men remain undefeated, while the Steel Women have dropped just a single game.
2023 Reds Volleyball AVSL Contingent: Rachel Trent, Dani Francis, Sophie Alchin, Ryan Slater, Jordan Fancote,
William Dundas, Alexia Zammit and Amelie Warburton.
Reds athletes Ryan Slater and Jordan Fancote were recently named in the AVSL Men Team of the Week for Round 2 (Slater) and Round 3 (Fancote). After a week off with the bye, Slater is looking forward to hitting the road to take on the also unbeaten Storm Men this Saturday.
“Our guys have played some cracking volleyball so far and I’m looking forward to seeing us match up against the Storm. They are an experienced side with some firepower in Nathan Roberts and Harry Peacock so it should be an awesome match,” Slater said.
Fancote Flies High: Steel Middle Blocker Jordan Fancote in action against the Phoenix.
Steel Women Outside Hitter Amelie Warburton has enjoyed the way the Steel Women have trained for the new format of the game.
“It’s been really exciting at training to have a new focus and learning to adapt to the new rules for the AVSL this season,” Warburton said.
Assistant Coach for the Steel Men Rachel Trent has loved the way the men’s team has adjusted to the new format and the excitement the home rounds have generated.
“We have adapted to the new format very well and is proving to be well received by the crowd as the atmosphere at our home rounds has been incredible to say the least – it definitely gave a huge boost to the athletes,” Trent added.
A watchful eye: Dani Francis in the umpire stand for the Steel Men’s clash against the Vipers.
Dani Francis who has officiated in the national league competition since 2009 says the new format is a game-changer for referees and officials. “The pace of the game has become a lot faster and for officials this means it is even more important to react quickly to what is happening in every moment the game,” Francis said.
Ben Farley has been representing the Canberra Heat and is excited to be facing some familiar faces on the court this Sunday.
“I’m hoping to play some good defence this weekend because I know the offence from the Steel will be strong. Our team has gone from being a very experienced side to a young one and it is exciting to see lots of young players stepping up,” Farley said.
The Heat is On: Ben Farley in action for the Canberra Heat.
The Steel Men head into Saturday’s top of the table clash in second on the ladder, while the Steel Women come into the weekend in 5th with games in hand against their higher ranked opposition. This weekend is the final regular season round before AVSL Finals in Bendigo next week. The double-header for the Perth Steel against the Storm and the Heat is available to stream live on SBS on Demand and Cluch. All times listed below are AWST.
Round 5 – Perth Steel v Adelaide Storm – Saturday 9 September 2023 (SBS on Demand)
Steel Men at 3:30pm. Steel Women at 5pm
Round 5 – Perth Steel v Canberra Heat – Sunday 10 September 2023 (Cluch)
Steel Men at 12pm. Steel Women at 1:30pm