2012 News
29/01/12: Ladies 1 Repeat Portsmouth Win
Report to follow.
Final scores were:
Bristol 3-2 Portsmouth (25-15 23-25 27-25 20-25 15-9)
Squad: Kara van Aelst, Sarah Baos, Izabela Batog, Nicola Breaks, Cinzia Craighero, Caroline Dale, Kelly Jones, Ines Schmidt, Weronika Zarzycka - Chris Beer (coach)
28/01/12: Mixed Weekend For Men 1 In Bournemouth
Report to follow.
Final scores were:
Bristol 3-0 Wessex Juniors (25-11 25-22 25-22)
Bristol 1-3 Wessex (25-15 17-25 21-25 15-25)
Squad: Chris Beer, Milosz Kuchajewicz, Mateusz Pilarczyck, James Polkinghorne, Steve Wiliams, Erwin Wozniak, Tom Wycherley, Ivan Zlatkov - Andy Glanville (coach)
22/01/12: Ladies 1 Beat Portsmouth In Top Of The Table Clash
This weekend Ladies 1 hosted Portsmouth in a match that could make or break their season. Portsmouth, having lost only two matches so far, are Bristol's nearest rivals in the quest for the league title. A victory for Bristol would put them two wins clear, but a loss would bring the teams level and make the remaining fixtures must-wins, so there was a huge amount to play for.
Bristol couldn't have asked for a more perfect start to the 1st set, with an inpenetrable block, and powerful kills from Weronika Zarzycka (moving to outside from middle for this match) and Kelly Jones. Bristol's workrate backcourt, refusing to let any ball drop without a fight, also further neutralised the Portsmouth attack. The girls won the set with an impressive 25-12 scoreline.
Bristol's dominance continued in the 2nd set and saw setter Cinzia Craighero combining well with middles Nicola Breaks, who's height and jump meant she was hitting over the Portsmouth blockers, and Caroline Dale. The scoreline could have mirrored that of the 1st, but some lapses in concentration gave Portsmouth some unnessessary points, but the girls still ended comfortable 25-19 winners.
With a 2 sets to 0 lead Bristol seemed to take their foot off the gas. Mistakes crept in, gifting the opposition points, balls that would have been picked up in previous sets were hitting the floor without a fight, and Portsmouth, having nothing to lose and realising they weren't going to be able to get through the Bristol block changed they way that they were attacking. Portsmouth took an early lead and despite a late fightback from Bristol tool the 3rd set 25-21.
Portsmouth took the upperhand at the start of the 4th, with Bristol seemingly unable to rediscover their form from the first two sets, and it looked like the match was heading for a tricky 5th set decider. Then some epic rallies, with incredible defence from the whole team, with libero Sarah Baos at the heart of it, seemed to kick-start Bristol's fightback. The girl's workrate was back to a level near what it was at the start of the match, the unforced errors were gone, and the attack was back to full potency. Bristol were now right back in it and trading points with Portsmouth at the business end of the set. Portsmouth looked to have done enough to stop the rot, serving for the set, but Bristol held their nerve to side-out and bring things level at 24-24, with opposite Izabela Batog scoring the all-important point. The girls then showed how far they've come mentally to hold on and complete the job, taking the next two points, the set, and the match.
The girls travel to Portsmouth next weekend for what is going to be a very tough return fixture.
Final scores were:
Bristol 3-1 Portsmouth (25-12 25-19 21-25 26-24)
Squad: Sarah Baos, Izabela Batog, Nicola Breaks, Cinzia Craighero, Caroline Dale, Kelly Jones, Ines Schmidt, Weronika Zarzycka - Chris Beer (coach)
22/01/12: Men 1 Beat Solent And Sussex
Report to follow.
Final scores were:
Bristol 3-2 SGTV Solent (25-22 22-25 25-22 22-25 15-9)
Bristol 3-0 Sussex Dolphins (25-16 25-22 25-22)
Squad: Steve Grimes, Milosz Kuchajewicz, Mateusz Pilarczyck, James Polkinghorne, Martijn Renooij, Bartek Sowula, Steve Wiliams, Tom Wycherley - Andy Glanville (coach)
15/01/12: Ladies 1 Consolidate League Position
Ladies 1 notched up another 3-0 win against Team Southampton to consolidate their position as the team to beat this season. The girls weren't at their normal flowing best but still managed to grind out a valuable straight-sets win in the first match back after a long xmas break.
Final scores were:
Bristol 3-0 Team Southampton (25-22 25-22 25-18)
Squad: Kara van Aelst, Sarah Baos, Izabela Batog, Nicola Breaks, Cinzia Craighero, Caroline Dale, Kelly Jones, Ines Schmidt, Weronika Zarzycka - Chris Beer (coach)
14/01/12: Men 1 Beat City Of Bristol For First Time
In the two previous seasons since Bristol VC entered the NVL, Men 1 have been unable to beat local rivals City of Bristol in their four meetings to date. This season, with their much improved form, the guys hoped things would be different. In a closely fought match Men 1 eventually secured victory in five sets, showing composure to score the important points when it mattered.
In the earlier game Men 1 also beat a talented Wessex Juniors side in 5 sets, meaning the men continue their march towards the top of the table.
Final scores were:
Bristol 3-2 Wessex Juniors (25-23 25-18 23-25 24-26 15-13)
Bristol 3-2 City of Bristol (25-20 23-25 25-22 24-26 15-12)
Squad: Chris Beer, Xavier Ficquet, Milosz Kuchajewicz, Mateusz Pilarczyck, James Polkinghorne, Bartek Sowula, Steve Wiliams, Erwin Wozniak, Tom Wycherley - Andy Glanville (coach) Norman Greenlee (assistant coach)
2011 News
23/12/11: Bristol End Year On NVL High
Mid-way through the 2011-12 season Bristol VC's NVL teams are in commanding positions in their respective divisions.
Leading the way are Ladies 1 having lost just one game and only five sets so far this season. The girls are playing some great volleyball which many opposing teams are simply unable to handle, but still face some tough challenges in Portsmouth and Team South Wales which they'll need to overcome in the new year if they are to take the league title.
Men 1 have only dropped two games - a vast improvement on last season which saw them go a long time before picking up a win. They too are still in the running for the title and promotion, and hope to continue their improvement by beating more teams which they have previously failed to in past seasons.
After a mixed start Ladies 2 are sitting comfortably in mid-table, with promotion still a possibility. A new coaching team is hoping to continue their progress up the table.
Please continue to show your support at home matches, it really helps and is much appreciated by all the players.
31/08/11: Ladies Trials
This season Bristol VC has ladies teams in the following leagues:
Ladies 1 - National League div 2
Ladies 2 - National League div 3
Due to numbers it was decided not to enter a team in the South West League this sesaon, however we will be offering a team below national league level for those that would like to play but at the moment exactly what league this will be is undecided. We are hoping to start something in the Bristol area, so watch ths space!
For those wishing to be part of a team, we will be holding trials on Monday 5th September 7pm-9pm at Clifton College. This will be your opportunity to talk to the coaches and meet the other girls that will be part of these squads next season, and is open to everyone in the club no matter what their previous level of experience as well as anyone new who wishes to join the club. Please bring a passport photo and £30 for registration, so that we can get this sorted next week. Training will then start on the following dates:
Ladies 1 - 7pm-9pm Wednesday 7th September at Clifton College
Ladies 2 - 7pm-9pm Monday 12th September at Clifton College
The squads selected at the trials session are only the initial squads, so if you feel like you are in the wrong team there is no issue in terms of transferring between them after this date.
If you are unable to make next monday's session but would still like to be part one of the teams then please contact me.
28/03/11: Great Weekend For Bristol VC In The National Volleyball League
Bristol's mens and ladies national league teams were in action this weekend, and for some it was the final fixture of the season. I am pleased to announce some impressive results:
* Ladies 1 beat Plymouth and New Forest, both 3-0, to finish 4th (of 10) in div 2 in their first season after gaining promotion.
* Ladies 2 beat Cardiff to finish the season in 3rd place in div 3 in what is their first season in the national league, achieving two victories over local rivals City of Bristol in the process.
* Men 1 beat Danes Watford, the team in 2nd place in the league, to ensure that they will remain in div 2 next season. With 3 games left to play there is still a chance to achieve an impressive 3th place in their first season after gaining promotion.
Well done to everyone involved!
13/02/11: Men 1 Beat Sussex
Report to follow.
06/02/11: Ladies 1 End Oxford Students NVL Jinx
So far during their one and a half seasons in the NVL Bristol have met Oxford three times, and each time failed to even take one set off them. This time, with the team more settled than at any point previously this season and playing well at training it was hoped that at long last things would be different. Coming into the match Oxford were leading the division having only lost one match so far this season, and boasting a squad full of very talented players, so if Bristol were going to end this jinx it was going to be very tough.
The first set was won by Oxford 25-15, so it looked like Bristol's losing streak was set to continue. The girls composed themselves during the break and came out with renewed determination and fire in their bellies, and looked a completely different team. Bristol took an early lead which put the pressure on Oxford. The girls were finally playing at the high level that they had been threatening all season, with incredible defense, and attack that kept scoring points. Oxford could not match this level of play, and as the match got further away from them they started to tighten up and make more errors. Bristol took sets two, three, and four, and with them earned a well-derserved victory, and ended a losing streak against Oxford that after the first set looked like it was going to continue into next season.
In the final match Bristol faced Reading Aces. Reading are a very consistent, if not spectacular team, who you have to work very hard against to score points. Unfortunately after an incredible match against Oxford, the Bristol girls could not rise to that level of play again, and ended up losing in straight sets.
Final scores were:
Bristol 3-1 Oxford Students (15-25 25-22 26-24 25-17)
Bristol 0-3 Reading Aces (19-25 22-25 18-25)
Squad: Sarah Baos, Izabela Batog, Caroline Dale, Elena Hensinger, Sarah Johnson, Agata Lewicka-Kuros, Ines Schmidt, Danielle Simpson - Chris Beer (coach)
30/01/11: Ladies 1 Beat Tendring And Destroy Team Bath
Bristol Ladies notched up another two wins in what is proving to be a very successful first season in NVL division 2.
Bristol had already beaten Tendring away from home this season, so confidence was high that the achievement could be repeated. Everything went to plan with Bristol dominating the first set and taking it to 11 points. There was a slight slip-up when concentration levels dropped which resulted in Bristol losing the third set, but in the end the match proved to be a comfortable win.
In the second match Bristol faced Team Bath who are yet to win this season. Unfortunately for them this was not going to change this weekend, with them having no answer to the Bristol serve or attack. In the end they were quickly brushed aside, with the majority of their points coming from Bristol errors rather than their own good play.
Final scores were:
Bristol 3-1 Tendring (25-11 25-20 17-25 25-22)
Bristol 3-0 Bath (25-14 25-6 25-8)
Squad: Kara van Aelst, Sarah Baos, Izabela Batog, Caroline Dale, Elena Hensinger, Sarah Johnson, Agata Lewicka-Kuros, Ines Schmidt - Chris Beer (coach)
2010 News
13/12/10: Men 1 Beat League Leaders
Having started the season with a horrendous defeat at the hands of Newbury, Bristol mens's 1st team have been showing signs of progression with each match they have played, finally rewarding them with a victory over Portsmouth in their previous (4th) game of the season. Everyone hoped that this steady improvement would continue but Tendring, with their squad full of players with junior and senior international honours, looked like being too big a challenge for the newly promoted team. Tendring certainly won on height!
Bristol are normally guilty of very slow starts, but on this occasion as the home team they were determined not to let Tendring have an easy introduction to the game. The start of the first set was a close affair, with Bristol taking confidence from holding their own against the league leaders, but in the end Tendring did enough to take the set.
Dispite losing the first set Bristol were full of confidence from the way they had played so far and fancied their chances of giving Tendring a good game. The visitors are probably a team used to leading a set from the beginning so Bristol set out to make a strong start in the second and see how they would react when the roles were reversed. This immediately had an effect with Tendring starting to show signs of feeling under pressure - tentativeness, moaning at each other, and making errors - giving Bristol further confidence and energy to their play. Tendring's attempts at mind games with one of Bristol's main attackers were proving unsuccessful as well, with Milosz Kuchajewicz producing some devastating kills to silence the opposition. Bristol's block was also up to the task, with Tendring finding it hard to find a way through with any consistency. The home side remained ahead and took the set by 5 points to bring the match level.
The start of the third set was went a similar way with Bristol able to forge and early lead. Probably sensing a easy match given Bristol's relative position in the league, one of Tendring's main hitters, Alex Porter, had been left of the bench, but the visitors now decided he was needed on court. This did not prove to have the desired effect with their first attack going straight into the net, and the home team continuing to contain the Tendring attack. Tendring had also reorganised themselves on court to reduce some of the mismatches between their blockers and the Bristol attack. Although much closer Bristol managed to continue their fine play and maintain their lead to win the set and move ahead in the match.
Tendring were now in a position they did not expect to be in, and they were falling apart. Players were sharing their frustration with each other - with a yellow card to boot - and body language was negative. Bristol raced to a commanding lead and it was only the serve and attack of Ben Wilson that was keeping Tendring in the game. At 24-19 Bristol's Tyson Veldstra and Tom Wycherley fittingly took the set and match with a stuff block to seal an unexpected but thoroughly deserved victory.
Final scores were:
Bristol Speedwell 3-1 Tendring (19-25 25-20 25-23 25-19)
Squad: Chris Beer, Dimitris Kantas, Milosz Kuchajewicz, Sergio Panseri, Martijn Renooij, Tyson Veldstra, Steve Williams, Tom Wycherley - Andy Glanville (coach)
01/11/10: Bristol Ladies 2 Beat Local Rivals
Report to follow.
28/09/10: University Of Bristol Partnership
We are pleased to announce that Bristol VC has entered into partnership with the University of Bristol. Club members, led by Dan 'Harri' Harrison, will take over coaching of university teams this season, who will be competing in the British Universities & Colleges Sport competition as well as the EVA Student Cup. We will also be offering students of all abilities additional training/playing opportunities with our club's teams. Not only will this help to improve the university teams, but these players will strengthen our squads at all levels.
There are additional benefits to Bristol VC members from this partnership. Members will be eligable for discounted rates with University physios, osteopaths, and sports massage therapists, and teams will be able to access support services such nutrition advice and sport psychology.
If you would like to know more, or would like to get actively involved with coaching and development, then please get in touch.
Chris Beer (chairman)
28/08/10: 2010/11 Team Trials
Want to try-out for a team for the coming season? Trials for the club's top teams will be held on the following days:
Men 1 (NVL div 2): Thursday 2nd September, 7:30pm-9:30pm @ The City Academy
Men 2 (SWL) & 3 (GVA): Thursday 2nd September, 7:15pm-9:15pm @ University of Bristol Centre for Sport, Exercise and Health
Ladies 1 (NVL div 2) & 2 (NVL div 3): Wednesday 1st September, 7:15pm-9:15pm @ University of Bristol Centre for Sport, Exercise and Health
16/07/10: Bristol VC Awarded Cash4Clubs Grant
We are pleased to announce that Bristol VC has been awarded a £500 Cash4Clubs grant to help fund more equipment to allow more people in the local community to play Volleyball, keep fit, and have fun!
Over the summer the club is running free weekly outdoor Volleyball sessions which have been experiencing huge demand from both existing members and people looking to get involved with the sport for the first time, so part of the grant will be used to increase the number of courts that we can set up.
This grant adds to the significant Sport England lottery funding awarded to the club before christmas, which means in 2010/11 Bristol VC will be offering playing opportunities for all levels of ability that are unrivaled in the Bristol area.
14/05/10: We Are Recruiting!
Having just experienced its most successful season ever, Bristol Volleyball Club is looking for men and women to strengthen its teams at all levels.
For 2010/11 we will be offering NVL Div 2 (men & women), NVL Div 3 (women only), regional, and local league volleyball, as well as mixed volleyball for beginners/recreational players. All our coaches are qualified and have vast amounts of experience. The club is Sport England funded, which is helping us improve the facilities and equipment available to our players.
Bristol Volleyball Club also offers a great club atmosphere, with regular socials and club nights, so there is more going on than just playing Volleyball!
If you interested in becoming part of a succcessful, ambitious club then please get in touch.
10/05/10: Great Weekend For Bristol VC At South West Championships
Bristol VC finished the 2009/10 indoor season with some great results at the annual South West Championships in Plymouth.
This tournament features 13 of the top mens teams and 13 of the top ladies teams in the South West region of the country, with teams playing everyone to decide who contests the semi's and the final.
Normally this is a tournament where Bristol VC fails to make an impact, but with both ladies and mens teams stepping up to NVL level for the first time, and both gaining promotion, hopes were high that this year would be different. The men's 2nd team also entered, to try their hand against teams in some cases several leagues above them.
Both mens and ladies 1st teams were in 3rd place after the round-robin stage, securing their place in the semi-finals. Unfortunately both were unable to overcome their opposition, with particular heartbreak for the ladies who lost to Devon (who are a whole NVL division above them) by 1 point.
Bristol Men 2 had a less successful weekend, but still managed to come up with some impressive victories considering the last minute recruitment of players due to people dropping out.
As always with this tournament the Saturday night party was great. This led to the men having some issues getting on court on time on Sunday morning, but the less said about that the better!
Final rankings for Bristol VC teams:
Bristol Men 1 - 3rd/13
Bristol Men 2 - 10th/13
Bristol Ladies - 3rd/13
19/04/10: Bristol Men Promoted To NVL Div 2 Via Playoffs
I am very pleased to annouce that Bristol VC men's NVL team won promotion to National Div 2 at the end of season playoffs yesterday beating York VC in a close match (15-13 in the final set).
As Bristol ladies have already won automatic promotion, Bristol VC will be able to offer both mens and ladies div 2 NVL volleyball next season, which a great achievement for the club, especially considering that it was both team's first season in the national league!
Chris Beer (captain)
23/03/10: Bristol Ladies Earn Promotion To Div 2 In First NVL Season
Bristol Ladies ended their first NVL season with another two impressive victories and automatic promotion after securing join-second place in the league to cap an incredible debut season playing National League volleyball.
In the first of their two matches Bristol faced Cardiff Ladies, blowing them away in 3 sets, with the opposition scoring only 14, 15 and finally 13 points in each set.
Bristol then faced the home side New Forest, who with their very vocal support were trying to secure the final promotion place along with their local rivals Team Southampton.
News had just come in that Team Southampton had unexpectedly beaten Team Bath which meant that only victory against Bristol would secure New Forest the promotion that they had worked so hard all season to achieve. Everything was set up for an intense match!
Spurred on by their comprehensive victory in their previous match, Bristol started the brightest and took the 1st set.
In the 2nd set New Forest came out all guns blazing, backed by a large crowd of supporters. The set was close with both sides trading points, but in the end New Forest's determination to keep their promotion hopes alive saw them edge out the set 25-23.
The 3rd set was again very close, but rather than be intimidated by the opposition support Bristol used it to inspire themselves. The girls knew they had the shots to win points, so kept their heads as the set neared the end, this time to take it 25-23 is their favour.
Now only 1 set away from defeat and missing out on promotion to their local rivals the pressure was now firmly on the New Forest girls. Bristol were also now playing the devastating volleyball that had seen them see-off numerous seasoned NVL teams throughout the year. This saw Bristol wrap up the match in 4 sets with a comfortable 25-17 win.
Its impossible to put into words how incredible this season has been for the ladies. Gaining automatic promotion in their first NVL season is a far cry from the expectations and targets of trying to achieve a mid-table finish and avoid relegation at all costs that were set out at the start of the season. It is credit to all of the girls the way they have trained all season and taken what has been done at training into matches. There is still plenty of work to be done before we can be successful in division 2 but there are strong foundations in place and everyone is already looking forward to the challenge next year!
If you are an experienced volleyball player who wants the challenge of being involved with a successful squad then please get in touch with us!
Final scores were:
Cardiff Ladies 0-3 Bristol (14-25 15-25 13-25)
New Forest 1-3 Bristol (20-25 25-23 23-25 17-25)
The current league table can be viewed here.
Chris Beer (coach)
23/03/10: Bristol Men In Rich Vein Of Form
Report to follow.
07/03/10: Bristol Ladies Beat Reading Aces In Straight Sets But Unable To Do Double Over Bath
Report to follow.
22/02/10: Bristol Men Perform Well And Pick Up Win
Report to follow.
22/02/10: Bristol Ladies Beat Plymouth And Crush Cardiff Tigers
Bristol Ladies travelled to Cardiff to face Cardiff Tigers, and Plymouth, the only team they have lost to so far this season other than Oxford.
In their first game the girls faced Plymouth who had just had an easy win against Tigers, and they were keen to get revenge for the defeat earlier in the season. Ferocious serving from Plymouth setter Tanya Summerfield gave Plymouth a decent lead early in the 1st set, but Bristol fought back hard with some stubborn defense and varied attack to turn things around and take the set by 5 points.
It was clear that one of Plymouth's main weapons was their serve, so now knowing what to expect the ladies worked hard to nullify that with some focused passing. This paid dividends, and meant that Plymouth lost the source of many of their points. Bristol went on to win the set comfortably to 13 points.
With the game now appearing to be under control Bristol made two changes for the 3rd set. This seemed to unsettle the team who were now not as focused as they had been, and maybe the score from the previous set made the players take their foot off the gas a bit. Plymouth started going for broke to try to keep themselves in the match, increasing the intensity of their attack, and their key players were having more success with their big serves. Even after reversing the substitutions, the damage had been done and Bristol could not get themselves back into the set.
Boosted by their win, Plymouth were now playing with more confidence and making more winners with their attack than they had during any point in the match up to now. Bristol were equal to the task though, which led to a nail-biting finish with neither side seeming able to score the winning point. After 36mins Plymouth edged the set 32-30.
It was now down to a final set decider, which could have been easy for Bristol to capitulate in having already thrown away a two set advantage. But the girls have been here before during this season, coming through some tough matches, so they knew what needed to be done. Bristol had a narrow lead at the changeover, which through playing simple volleyball, they were able to build on and take a deserved victory.
Having played for just under 2hrs in a match featuring lots of long rallies, some of the girls, as you would expect, were shattered. So Bristol made three changes to the team to face Cardiff Tigers. It immediately became clear that Cardiff were nowhere near a match for Bristol and the girls inflicted a crushing 3-0 defeat, with the 4 points Cardiff scored in the 2nd set being entirely attributed to Bristol service errors.
These wins consolodate Bristol's 2nd place in the league, 2 points ahead of Oxford and 2 points behind leaders Team Bath (who they play in two weeks time). Victory over Plymouth also means that regardless of the results of the remaining games of the season, with the exception of Oxford, Bristol will have beaten everyone in the league at least once. This is an achievement the girls can be proud of during their first season in the NVL.
Final scores were:
Plymouth 2-3 Bristol (20-25 13-25 25-17 32-30 11-15)
Cardiff Tigers 0-3 Bristol (8-25 4-25 19-25)
The current league table can be viewed here.
Chris Beer (coach)
17/01/10: Wins Put Bristol Ladies Joint Top Of Table
In the first match of the fixture Bristol faced SGTV Solent - a team that they had already beaten 3-0 this season. In the 1st set the ladies struggled to get into their stride but managed to narrowly win 26-24. The 2nd and 3rd sets featured a more fluent Bristol performance, imposing their superior play on the opposition. This resulted in more comfortable wins to 17 and 16 points respectively.
The second match was against another team that the girls have previously beaten 3-0 - Wilshire Mavericks. It seemed like slow starts against weaker teams were to be the order of the day with Bristol slipping up to lose the 1st set. But yet again the girls managed to turn things around and get back to winning ways, taking the next 3 sets and the match.
These wins take Bristol to join top of the table along with Team Bath and Oxford. Going forward they must make sure they take the game to the opposition from the start to avoid dropping unnecessary sets. With the league so tight at the top it might come down to the odd set here or there that decides the winner at the end of the season.
Final scores were:
SGTV Solent 0-3 Bristol (24-26 17-25 16-25)
Wiltshire Mavericks 1-3 Bristol (25-21 16-25 16-25 20-25)
The current league table can be viewed here.
Chris Beer (coach)
2009 News
07/12/09: Bristol Ladies Do Double Over Local Rivals
Bristol ladies travelled accross the city to face local rivals City of Bristol, and their 2009 NVL play-off opponents New Forest, looking to build on their previous wins.
For their first match Bristol faced New Forest who finished the 2008/09 season at the bottom of the table. Bristol actually gained their their NVL status this season by beating New Forest in a play-off, with New Forest managing to retain their NVL status by claiming the final place in another play-off against Richmond VC. This season Forest were doing much better, up to mid-table, having improved as a team and also through some impressive new signings over the summer, so Bristol knew they were in for a tougher game than they faced back in April. This was confirmed after watching them beat City of Bristol straight sets in the first match of the triangular.
Bristol knew it was important to get off to a good start so not to give Forest any kind of momentum or allow them to get rid of any tentitiveness they might have because of that defeat back in April. The girls got off to a great start. Some strong serving and powerful attacking did not give Forest an opportunity to establish an attack of their own. They had some tall girls that without good ball into the setter were struggling to bring into the game in any meaningful way. Bristol ran out the set comfortably to 14 points.
Bristol were unable to maintain such dominance in the 2nd set, with Forest playing with more composure and making better use of their stronger hitters. But Bristol were still were still able to score the points when it mattered and won a close set 25-23.
During the 3rd set Bristol were playing well and maintained the upper hand, and along with being 2 sets down lead to some frustration creeping into the Forest ranks and an increasing error count. Bristol took the 3rd set and the match to continue in their winning ways.
Next up Bristol faced City of Bristol, who they had already beaten in straight sets this season in a high-intensity match. Unfortunately there was to be no repeat of that this time with Bristol seeming to stuggle to motivate themselves.
City of Bristol started the match with a new setter, who looked to be a bit out of her depth and could not get their attack firing. This gave Bristol an easy start and despite their lack of motivation let them easily take control of the set. After a change of setter City of Bristol were a lot more settled, but despite a spirited fight back the damage was done and they could not do enough to win the set.
Bristol's lacklustre performace continued in the 2nd set, but they managed to scrape a 26-24 win and keep themselves in with a shot of a valuable straight sets victory.
The 3rd set there were some sparks of life from the Bristol ladies, but the volleyball was still not up to their usual standards. In the end they took the set to 21 points and with it the double of their local rivals.
It was a day of very mixed performances - during the New Forest match the girls played some great stuff, but couldn't recreate that form against City of Bristol. To look on the positive side, its good to see that they can do enough to grind out a win even when they are not playing at their best. Fingers crossed this was only a temporary blip!
Final scores were:
New Forest 0-3 Bristol (14-25 23-25 21-25)
City of Bristol 0-3 Bristol (23-25 24-25 21-25)
The current league table can be viewed here.
Chris Beer (coach)
30/11/09: Bristol Men Struggle To Find Form
After a promising start to their first season in the NVL, Bristol Men continued their run of poor form losing to Portsmouth and City of Bristol. The boys end 2009 with a home fixtures against Team Bath and Wiltshire Mavericks in two weeks time, so they will be hoping to find the energy and commitment that has been missing the past few games and return to playing at thier full potential.
16/11/09: Bristol Ladies Achieve Impressive Victory Against Team Bath
In their second home fixture of the season Bristol Ladies hoped to put their defeat by Oxford behind them
and get back to winning ways. It was always going to be a tough ask as in addition to playing Cardiff, Bristol also faced title-favorites Team Bath - a squad featuring a number of talented young atheletes that are part of the GB performance program.
In the first match Bristol were up against Cardiff, who having only won two games so far this season were
expected to not provide much of a challenge. This could not have been further from the truth with Cardiff displaying a greater desire to win from the start and Bristol playing like a group of individuals rather than a team. Lack of communication and not being able to get the basics right meant that Bristol could not
establish themselves in the first set, with Cardiff taking it by a comfortable 8 points. It was important
to get off to a good start in the second set to stop Cardiff from being able to build on the momentum that
they had gathered, and luckily the girls managed to find their game and started to play much nearer their
best, making sure they didn't unnessessarily over-complicate things. This allowed them to take the set by a
13 point margin and get themselves back in the game. A change at setter at the start of the third seemed to
upset the team a little, with the silly errors creeping back in and general lack of communication. It
looked like Cardiff were going to take the set but after Bristol made a couple of substitutions some
composure returned and they were able to edge out the win. In the fourth set Bristol upped their game again
and ran out comfortable winners in what proved to be a match full of very mixed performances.
After a long break as Cardiff played Team Bath (with Bath winning 3-1) Bristol had to return to the court
hoping that their lacklustre performance against Cardiff was just a one-off. Having just seen Bath
demonstrate their powerful attack against Cardiff the girls could have easily felt intimidated, but having
already come through several tough games this season there was every chance the girls would rise to the
challenge.
Luckily Bristol had put their performance against Cardiff behind them and started the match with a much more
purpose, but dispite this, Bristol's play was very one-dimensional and didn't really trouble Bath's capable
defense. 1-0 to Bath. In the second set Bristol looked to implement a more intelligent game plan and
exploit Bath's weaknesses which had been spotted during their earlier game against Cardiff. Bath's deep
players tended to drift towards front court, which often left the corners wide open, which, along with the
space behind the middle blocker, and some powerful attacks, proved to be the source of many points.
Bristol's varied attack introduced an element of uncertainty into Bath's play, which led to a growing error
count for the visitors. The game was now much closer and Bristol took a tight second set. The third set
was a similar story to the second, but Bath finished the strongest and won the set. Bristol had the better
start during the fourth, building a comfortable lead towards the end of the set. But Bath put in a strong
fight back to level the score, nullifying the Bristol attack in the process with some impressive blocking.
Bristol made some last minute changes, with Ines Schmidt coming back on to power through the Bath block and
win the vital points to give the home team an extremely tense set. At this stage, Who would win the final
set was anyone's guess, and thats how things stayed at the change-over, with Bristol ahead by only 1 point.
Bristol then upped their game and began to take control of the set, with the young Bath players starting to
look increasingly frustrated, like they were not expected to be in this position. With the winning post in
sight, Bristol held their nerve and clinched an impressive, and deserved victory. The girls remain in a
solid 2nd place in the league.
Final scores were:
Bristol 3-1 Cardiff Ladies (17-25 25-12 25-22 25-14)
Bristol 3-2 Team Bath (17-25 25-23 21-25 27-25 15-12)
The current league table can be viewed here.
Why not come along and support the ladies? The next home match is on Sunday 31st January at Clifton College.
Chris Beer (coach)
02/11/09: Bristol Ladies Beat Southampton But Struggle Against Oxford
Report to follow.
26/10/09: Bristol Men Lose To Portsmouth
Report to follow.
19/10/09: Bristol Ladies Win Local Derby In Straight Sets
In their first home NVL fixture Bristol Ladies faced SGTV Solent and City of Bristol.
The first game against SGTV Solent proved to be an easy win for the girls. Solent were unable to contain the Bristol attack and were not strong enough front court to trouble the Bristol defense. This proved an excellent opportunity for two players to make their debut for the NVL team, with Stephanie Bolton making the transition to setter, and Agata Lewicka-Kuros making her first start after recently joining the club.
Bristol now faced City of Bristol in what was the first ever derby match between the two clubs. Since City of Bristol was formed back in 2004, Bristol have always been playing in lower divisions, so have not had the opportunity to play eachother competitively in a league until now. Bristol have been developing as a squad over the past couple of seasons, gaining promotion to the NVL back in April and have made a good start to their NVL campaign having only lost one game so far. City of Bristol had also made a good start, being currently unbeaten in the league, so it was anyone's guess as to who was going to come out on top in this encounter. It was Bristol who got off to the brightest start, serving to a 6-0 lead at the start of the first set. This meant that City of Bristol were immediately under pressure and had to play catchup. They took time to get into their game and by then it was too late, with Bristol taking the set by 7 points. The second set was much closer, with both teams trading points and City of Bristol having a small lead for most of it. When it got to the business end of the set Bristol showed excellent composure to raise their game and edge out a win. The third set was similar in that it started off very close. In the end it was Bristol's superior defense and pass, with some incredible pick-ups, that enabled them to establish control on the game and win the set by a comfortable 6 points.
This was an excellent performance by the girls, not only to handle what could have been a tricky derby match, but also to show yet again that they can raise their game when put under pressure by the opposition. It was also nice to see the work ethic and team play that they have been working on in training coming through into matches.
Bristol now sit joint top of the league, which is an impressive performance this early in their debut NVL season. It is also something for the whole squad to be proud of, with every single person having played a key role in the victories along the way.
Final scores were:
Bristol 3-0 Team SGTV Solent (25-13 25-12 25-19)
Bristol 3-0 CIty of Bristol (25-18 25-22 25-19)
The current league table can be viewed here.
Why not come along and support the ladies? The next home match is on Sunday 15th November at Clifton College.
Chris Beer (coach)
12/10/09: Bristol Men Beat Team Southampton And Wiltshire Mavericks In Straight Sets
In their first home NVL fixture Bristol Men faced Team Southampton and Wiltshire Mavericks, hoping to continue in their winning ways after a confidence-building victory on the opening weekend on the season.
In the first game Bristol faced Team Southampton. Not much was known about the opposition, as Southampton were also new to the NVL this season, but in the warmup it was clear that they had a few guys who could hit the ball. During the game things were a little different - Southampton's lack of a good pass to their setter meant they were always struggling in attack. Bristol were solid in all areas and always infront, taking them to an easy victory in straight sets.
Bristol now faced Wiltshire Mavericks - a team they had never beaten in a competitive match. Mavericks are an experienced team who had already played a season together in the NVL finishing a respectable 5th, so this was going to be a much tougher match than the first. Things couldn't have been more different at the start with Bristol racing to a 8-0 lead - a deficit that Mavericks were unable to recover from. Bristol also established a lead in the second set, but then took their foot off the gas. This allowed Mavericks back into the game and set up a tense end to the set. Mavericks were serving for the match when Bristol showed great character to hold it together and take set at a mentally draining 29-27. Bristol were more composed in the third, reducing the errors that had crept in during the second, allowing them to finish the job in straight sets and move to an impressive 2nd in the league.
Final scores were:
Bristol Speedwell 3-0 Team Southampton (25-15 25-17 25-21)
Bristol Speedwell 3-0 Wiltshire Mavericks (25-15 29-27 25-21)
The current league table can be viewed here.
Why not come along and support the men? The next home match is on Sunday 13th December at Clifton College.
Chris
04/10/09: Sport England Funding For Bristol VC
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We are pleased to announce that Bristol VC has been successful in attracting £4,618 in grant funding from Sport England.
Over the past three years the club's membership has seen unprecedented growth, and it is now uniquely placed as the only club in the Greater Bristol area offering Beginners, Local League, Regional League, and National League Volleyball, for both men and women. This funding will help us greatly improve the facilities and equipment available to our experienced team of volunteers to meet the needs of the club's players, as well us enabling us to dramatically increase the club's capacity for future growth.
With funding now secured, over the next weeks Bristol VC will embark on its plan aimed at providing coaching and playing opportunities to young people in the Bristol area, working with schools to provide a path for those with an interest/talent in volleyball to maximise their potential.
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Chris Beer (chairman)
04/10/09: Ladies 2 Beat Torexe In SWL
I am pleased to announce the very first victory of the Ladies 2 team in the South West League. After winning the Gloucester league last year, it made sense to go to the next level, and what a next level! The south west league is of a higher standard by a long distance!!
The team started well the 1st game against Torexe Aces, winning the 1st -disputed- set. The defence was good, our new libero Hazuki Haraga making a big difference at the back. The second set was also quite disputed, however our cover was approximate and the players didn't manage to pick up all the short balls and other tips from the Torexe girls. This and few other mistakes made the difference and BVC lost the second set. But we came back strong with a more agressive offence from both the wings and the middle. Our game was becoming more constructed. Good serves from Hanna Grusczcynska and Alex Alonzi also helped. We won easily the 3rd and 4th set, even though a solid defence from Torexe helped them coming back on the final score.
(BVC / Torexe Aces: 25-21 17-25 25-15 25-19)
The second game was a complete different story. We played against Team South Wales, a newly formed team based on very good individualities. Their offence was really strong, and even though they didn't work as a team, some of their players were so skilled that it made little difference. BVC could have put up a bigger fight but got a bit impressed by the level of the Team South Wales. This team is likely to get promoted to National League, so no shame there. They were out of our reach (for the time being), and we should concentrate on the other teams.
(final score: BVC / Team South Wales 16-25 17-25 13-25)
It was an exciting day, very challenging and tiring for the players. This was an overall positive start of the season. Well done again.
Anthony Choukroun (coach)
28/09/09: Bristol Ladies Beat Wiltshire Mavericks But Still Have Work To Do
In their second fixture of the season, Bristol travelled to Plymouth to face Plymouth Ladies and Wiltshire Mavericks. Hoping to build on their early season success, and even with several players making their debuts, Bristol started with confidence and ran out easy winners against Wiltshire Mavericks in straight sets.
In the second game Bristol were not at their best. Seemingly phased by a giant middle player in the Plymouth team the girls were not able to impose themselves in attack or get a handle on her in defense. To add to the problems there was a lot of sloppy play - in the fourth set, 6 of Plymouth's first 8 points came from Bristol errors. You cannot expect to win any games at this level if you give away that number of points without even making the opposition play a single ball! This will hopefully serve as a wake up call to some of the players who need to realise that they are not playing in the South West League any more. Plymouth won the game 3 sets to 1.
In reflection, winning 3 out of the first 4 games in our debut season is still a great performance by the girls, achieving what some teams only managed over the course of an entire season last year, and there are plenty of positives to be taken. Bristol now have a few weeks to prepare before the next fixture, and will be working hard to iron-out some of the weaker areas that have been identified over the last few weeks.
Final scores were:
Wiltshire Mavericks 0-3 Bristol (19-25 17-25 20-25)
Plymouth 3-1 Bristol (25-13 20-25 25-14 25-15)
The current league table can be viewed here.
Why not come along and support the ladies? The next home fixture is on Sunday 18th October at Clifton College against SGTV Solent and City of Bristol.
Chris Beer (coach)
21/09/09: Bristol Men Beat Newbury
Bristol Men's 1st team picked up their first win of their National League campain with a hard-fought win over Newbury on Sunday. The first triangular of the season was always going to be a nervous affair, with the guys unsure of what to expect from their new league after playing in the SWL for the past few years, so to chalk up a win at the very start of the season will give a major boost in confidence going forward.
On paper Newbury were by far the better team, with a significant number of players that played in National Division 1 last year, so it looked like it was going to be a damage limitation exercise at first. But a combination of determination, good blocking, and exploitation of the opposition's weaknesses by Bristol kept the teams level at 2-2. In the deciding set Bristol worked hard to create an 11-4 lead, but as the winning post approached, tension started to creep in and people stopped going for their shots. This let Newbury back into the game, and after almost throwing it all away Bristol managed to hold on and win the set 17-15.
In the earlier match of the day, Bristol lost 1-3 to New Forest. While this was disapointing, there were still a lot of positives to take from the team's very first National League game. Bristol were in touch thoughout and were level at 1 set all, but losing the third set 24-26 proved to be the turning point. The game was definitely winnable, even though two key 1st team players were missing, so we look forward to the return fixture later in the season!
Final scores were:
New Forest 3-1 Bristol Speedwell (25-20 23-25 26-24 25-19)
Newbury 2-3 Bristol Speedwell (25-23 18-25 20-25 25-17 15-17)
The current league table can be viewed here.
Why not come along and support the men? The next home match is on Sunday 11th October at Clifton College.
Chris Beer (captain)
14/09/09: Bristol Ladies Off To A Winning Start!
Bristol VC ladies 1st team won their first National League games of the season on Sunday. This was an excellent result against two teams that finished in the top part of the table last season.
Before the games there were a few nerves, as being newly promoted to the NVL this season we were unsure how we would cope against teams that were used to competing at a higher level. These soon subsided after the Bristol attack proved to be stronger in every area, and the girls took the first game against Cardiff convincingly in 3 sets.
The second game against Reading (who had also previously beaten Cardiff in straight sets) was going to be a tougher affair altogether, as they they looked much stronger in both attack and defense. With confidence flowing from starting the season with a win, Bristol took the first two sets in what was proving to be a very close game with both teams playing some good volleyball. Reading then started to fight back and put pressure on Bristol with their superior defense allowing them to dominate the attack. This saw them level the game at 2-2. Reading took this momentum into the final set and raced to a 7-3 lead, but after a time-out and some choice words which I wont repeat, Bristol regained their composure and managed to turn the tide to win the set 15-10 and complete a 100% winning start to their NVL campaign.
It would have been easy for the girls to go to pieces because of the pressure from a more experienced team, but they showed good mental strength to turn things around and win the match. This experience should help spur them on for the rest of the season.
Final scores were:
Reading Aces 2 2-3 Bristol (21-25 23-25 25-20 26-24 10-15)
Cardiff Tigers 0-3 Bristol (15-25 13-25 20-25)
The current league table can be viewed here.
Why not come along and support the ladies? The next home match is on Sunday 18th October at Clifton College.
Chris Beer (coach)
14/05/09: We Are Recruiting!
Bristol Volleyball Club are inviting ladies to join our newly-promoted National League (div 3W) and Southwest League teams for the 09/10 season. You will be joining a strong core of players, with both teams unbeaten in 2009 in their current leagues, and trying to play exciting volleyball.
Our mens 1st team, Bristol Speedwell, is also looking for players to enhance its squad ahead of a next season's NVL (div 3W).
BVC is a rapidly growing club, with a fantastic social scene - the highlight of which being an outdoor summer tournament organised by the club with live bands, party, etc - so at BVC we offer a lot more than just playing volleyball.
13/05/09: Summer Volleyball On The Downs
As the 2008/09 season is coming to a close, we will now be moving outdoors to our usual spot on The Downs over the summer. More info can be found here.
19/04/09: Bristol Ladies Win National League Playoff
Bristol Ladies beat New Forest VC 3-1 (21-25, 25-14, 26-24, 25-9) to secure their place in next season's NVL.
Nerves were clearly present during the first set, with the girls quiet and playing within themselves. This gave New Forest, who were playing to retain their NVL status, an opportunity to take the initiative and create a small lead, and take the 1st set.
A few choice words and a chance to reflect during the break saw Bristol come out with much more confidence and energy at the start of the 2nd set, with Ann-Kathrin Meier jump-serving Bristol into a 7-0 lead. The girls were now playing more to their potential and their attack and defence was proving to be far superior to anything New Forest could offer. This saw Bristol take the 2nd set convincingly by 11 points.
Nerves crept back in during the 3rd, and an improved display from New Forest meant that the set was extreamly close with neither team able to create any sort of lead. In the end Bristol held it together to win 26-24.
With the cushion of a 1 set lead and having just won a very close set, confidence returned to the Bristol ladies and they started playing back near to their best. Attacking was decisive and defence solid. New Forest were not given a chance to establish themselves and a stunning 25-9 win gave Bristol the set, match, and place in the NVL next season.
In the other games, Team Bath saw off Richmond VC to claim their place in the NVL, and New Forest put their earlier defeat behind them to win a close match against Richmond in the losers playoff to take the final place.
Chris Beer (coach)
07/04/09: Bristol VC To Host National League Volleyball Next Season
We are pleased to announce that Bristol Men have been formally accepted into NVL 3 West for the 2009/10 season. Playing under the name Bristol Speedwell, the team will consist of a strong Bristol VC core, enhanced with ex-Speedwell players with experience of NVL div 1 as well as international honours.
Bristol Ladies face a play-off against bottom of the league New Forest VC on 19th April, to secure their NVL entry.
This means that Bristol VC will be offering local league, regional league, and national league volleyball next season, catering for players of all standards.
If you wish to be involved with any of the teams, please contact Chris Beer for more information.
Chris Beer (chairman)
29/03/09: Bristol Ladies Beat League Leaders
Bristol Ladies ensured that the 2008/09 South West Ladies league will be decided at the last game of the season after beating league leaders Plymouth 1.
Plymouth have been unbeaten in the South West league for the past few seasons - something that can be attributed to them also playing in National div 2 - but several teams have started to close the gap. Plymouth have now been beaten by Bristol and Torexe Queens this season, meaning the top end of the league is a lot closer than in previous years.
Three teams are still in contention for the league title this season, Plymouth 1, Torexe Queens, and Bristol, and it will be the final fixture of the season that decides who takes the honours.
Torexe have already completed all of their matches and have 11 wins to their name. Both Bristol and Plymouth have 1 fixure remaining, in which they will face eachother again. If Bristol beat Plymouth and the other games in the triangular go to form then Bristol, Torexe, and Plymouth will all be tied on 11 wins each, and the league title will go down to set/points difference.
Having not lost a game so far in 2009, if Bristol play to their potential then there is no reason why they cannot do it.
Chris Beer (coach)
23/02/09: Bristol Ladies Crowned 2009 Welsh Open Champions
The annual 2-day tournament held in Aberystwyth on 21st & 22nd Feb hosted local league to national league teams from England and Wales. Currently flying in high in the South West league, Bristol Ladies were quietly confident in a getting a good result.
After impressively not losing a single game in the group stages and semi-final, Bristol faced Bangor in the final, and after going a set down produced a superb fightback to take the match 2-1, with some excellent volleyball on display from both teams.
Bristol Ladies are currently looking to boost their squad for next season for a potential National League campaign, so if you are interested in playing WINNING volleyball, contact coach Chris Beer to get involved.
Bristol Ladies were: Alex Alonsi, Sigrit Altmae, Dirki Balaska, Gill Bryan, Jenny Dalhuijsen, Ann-Kathrin Meier, Joanne Tanner
Chris Beer (coach)
10/02/09: New rules in volleyball
Dear volleyball friends, please note that the new FIVB rules came into effect on 1 January 2009 and are implemented in
several leagues already (e.g National leagues, South-West Leagues).
For a 4 minute presentation of video clips regarding the rule modifications, please follow the following link:
http://www.hunvolley.hu/mrsz/jatekvezetok/szab_terem/net_rule_modifications.wmv
During the video clips, in the bottom left hand side of the video, it is stated whether
the highlighted play was a fault or not under the 2005-2008 rules, while in the bottom right hand side of the screen,
stating whether it is a fault for the 2009-2013 rules.
More rule changes can be found HERE and they will take effect in all Volleyball England NVL and Cup Competitions
with effect from 1st January 2009.
08/02/09: Ladies 1 and Ladies 2 matches cancelled
Because of the bad weather conditions both teams, Ladies 1 in South-West League and
Ladies 2 in Gloucester league had to cancel the matches. The games will be postponed.
Sigrit (Club secretary)
2008 News
10/10/08: Start of Season Social!
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A Night of Skittles and Ales
Friday 10th October, 8pm
The Duke of York pub, Bristol
Contact Dink for more information
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05/10/08: BVC Ladies 2 Win First Match Of Season
Sunday saw the very first game for BVC's -newly created- 2nd ladies team in the Gloucester League.
The team arrived early at the game and all (including the new coach) were quite excited at the idea of playing their first game.
After a good warm up, BVC showed a solid start to the 1st set with strong serves from Alex Alonzi. However, the opposition (Cheltenham Ladies) had a consistent defence but this was not enough and BVC won the 1st set 25-22.
The second set was similar to the firt one, but a few mistakes from Bristol made the difference and Cheltenham won the 2nd set with difficulty 25-23.
Third set, Bristol ladies somehow started to be nervous, everybody was tense and the passes lost accuracy. Trailing 13-4, every player had their head down… However, BVC showed a strong mental attitude and started with basics, played clean and low-risks balls and managed slowly to regain confidence. Karen Thatcher made extra efforts to transform every pass into a good set (she was voted “player of the match”). Then, BVC started to play harder and harder and caught up to 23-23. Unfortunately, two unlucky shots and Cheltenham won 25-23.
But the great come back gave BVC wings, a strong team spirit also helped them to fight hard to win the 4th set 25-23.
The fifth set was really good, strong serves, strong hits and some massive blocks from Hanna Wickberg gave them a good lead. Cheltenham tried everything and caught up a bit but it was too late. BVC won 15-11!!
It was a great and tense game. BVC players showed a good mental and very good team spirit. They fought hard and gave everything they had, which was well rewarded. Cheltenham were a strong side, so it is a great achievement for BVC and very promising start of the season.
Well done to all the girls!
BVC Ladies 2 3 - 2 Cheltenham Ladies (25-22, 23-25, 23-25, 25-23, 15-11)
Anthony Choukroun (coach)
18/09/08: 2008/09 Season Outlook
After a landmark season for the club last year, the new season has been underway for a couple of weeks and things are already starting to look bright.
Over the summer the club has made a few changes that will hopefully further increase its success. There is a new coach for the Tuesday session, who will be bringing new ideas to developing people's basic skills. There will also be two separate ladies teams (South West League and Gloucester League) each with its own separate training session, as well as the men moving to a new, bigger venue to accomodate an additional mens team.
There are plenty of new members too, both beginners and experienced players, taking the club membership to over 60!
Hopefully this will be the start of another successful season for BVC, with the club seeing further improvements in all areas. There is certainly plenty to look forward to, including the first matches of the season, and the start of season social.
Chris Beer (chairman)
07/06/08: 2008 Wick Tournament A Great Success
Visit the Wick section of our website for more details.
14/05/08: BVC Ladies Finish 2nd in South West League
Contratulations to Bristol ladies, who ended their season an impressive 2nd in the South West league. This is even more of an achievement when you consider it was virtually a new team at the start of the season, and the team that finished above them (Plymouth 1) also play in National Division 2. As coach I am expecting good things next year!
Chris Beer (coach)
25/03/08: BVC Ladies Flying High In South West League
We are now nearing the end of the 2007/08 season, and what a season it has been for the Bristol Ladies.
The team was pretty much new at the start of the season, with many new players joining the club, so their league position is a credit to the girls for working hard at training and quickly gelling as a team.
So far they have only lost their first game (due to only having 2 weeks preparation time) and to Plymouth 1, putting them technically in 2nd place. So as coach, I am really pleased!
Although winning the league looks to have passed us by this season, things are looking good for next year, and with a few new additions to the team coming soon, hopefully we will be mounting a serious challenge against Plymouth for the title!
Chris Beer (coach)
25/01/08: BVC Social - A tour of the Bristol Beer Factory!
Next BVC social is being organised by the BVC Men's team.
This social will consist of a tour of the Bristol Beer Factory (including plenty of drinks!).
Put this event in your diaries and prepare well (eat!).
This social is organised by Men's team and for all club members, so please feel free to come along!!!
For a map and and poster please go to members area :)
2007 News
05/09/07: Encouraging Start To The Season
After the first indoor training session of the 07/08 season, things are looking extremely positive for the coming months. The session was open to all and over 40 players turned out, ranging from beginners to National League standard.
All of the club's coaches were on hand to talk to players and start forming the club's four teams. In particular, the ladies team is looking strong this season, with a number of new recruites coming in over the summer - so we are looking forward to making a good challenge for the South West League title!
After a fun session, considering the numbers, the obligatory pint was enjoyed at the Alma Tavern.
03/06/07: BVC Host 2nd Annual Wick Tournament
Report to follow
Final Rankings:
1. Speedwell
2. Covert Ops
3. Pirates
4. Filton Phoenix
5. Startled Moose
6. Sandford
7. Bemi
8. Nomads
9. Horfield Hornets
10. Also Ran-domolos
20/05/07: BVC Men win GVA Cup
Bristol won the Men’s Cup final 3-1 against Stroud I. Bristol shot into an early 6-0 lead in the first set, but Stroud were able to even it up at 11-all. From that point the lead changed hands a number of times, until a decisive run of serves from Bristol captain Jose Ronchetti gave then the first set 25-22. Stroud had the better of the early exchanges in set two, as the Stroud setters picked out Matt Mollen and Jon Chomicz. Bristol were never able to string a run of services together, and Stroud ran out 25-21 victors. Both sides showed excellent recovery work in set three, as even the hardest and most well-placed of shots was recovered by both defences. Bristol were always in front though, and they took the set 25-19. Bristol were ruthless in set four, giving Stroud little chance as they rushed into a 24-14 lead, and to illustrate that it was not Stroud’s day, Bristol clinched the match with a mishit serve. Players of the match were Jon Chomicz and Jose Ronchetti.
Report from GVA website
18/02/07: BVC Ladies Win Again
Bristol Ladies picked up two valuable wins in their bid for a top half of the table finish.
With only 6 players BVC knew they were going to be in for a tough day, but having seen the opposition teams play eachother in the first match, the girls confidence started to grow. This led to a convincing 3-0 win over Bath.
BVC 3 – 0 Bath Aquae Sulis (scores to follow)
With Totnes being beaten 3-0 by Bath earlier in the day, BVC's second match should have been a more straight forward affair. This seemed to be the case, with the girls taking the 1st set 25-12. Complacency then started to creep in, and BVC's level of play dropped considerably, allowing Totnes to edge the second. Things started to look back on track in the 3rd, with BVC racing to a 20-3 lead - captain Jenny Dalhuijsen unleashing a string on unanswerable serves. But then the complacency crept in again and Totnes started a fightback, taking the score to 22-10, but eventually the girls ran out the set with ease. The fourth set saw BVC getting off to a slow start for a second time in the match, with Totnes taking a 16-10 lead. Wanting to avoid a tricky (and nerve wracking) 5th set, the BVC coach took the girls off for a good talking to. This seemed to do the trick with the girls immediately bringing the scores level at 16-16. Both sides then traded points, but BVC held their nerve to secure the win.
BVC 3 - 1 Totnes Space Hoppers (scores to follow)
BVC Ladies: Gill Bryan, Jenny Dalhuijsen, Mandy Foale, Vicky Goode, Hannah Maclellan, Amy Yelling
Chris Beer (coach)
2006 News
26/11/06: BVC Ladies beat City of Bristol and Plymouth 2
After a disappointing start to the season, BVC Ladies hoped to make amends with wins over local rivals City of Bristol, and Plymouth 2. All three teams started the day at the bottom of the league, so everyone fancied their chances of being able to win both games and start their climb up the table.
BVC’s first match was against City of Bristol, who showed up with several of their national league players, so it looked like we might have a game on our hands. However, BVC started the more confident and raced to an early lead, taking the first set 25-11. This led to a bit of complacency in the second set, and with CoB improving their own game, BVC narrowly lost the 2nd 23-25. Both teams then started finding their game and trading points in equal measure, so it looked like the team who who could hold their nerve the longest would take the honours. In this respect BVC proved to be the strongest, coming from points down and taking the next 2 sets to win the match.
BVC 3 – 1 CoB (25–11, 23–25, 25–22, 26-24)
After seeing Plymouth being easily beaten by CoB, BVC fancied their chances of recording their second win of the season. Brimming with confidence after beating CoB earlier in the day, the ladies put on a powerful display to beat Plymouth in straight sets. The team showed good team spirit to break down an at times stubborn Plymouth defence. Supporters even witnessed an extremely rare dive, tip, and block from setter Hannah Maclellan, some of whom are still in shock today.
Lets hope that this is the start of a trend that last the rest of the season.
BVC 3 - 0 Plymouth 2 (25-16, 25-14, 25-19)
BVC Ladies: Kathrin Buchwald, Jenny Dalhuijsen, Mandy Foale, Vicky Goode, Anna Lagerdahl, Hannah Maclellan, Claire Rehm, Gaby da Silva Xavier
Chris Beer (coach)
21/08/06: Indoor training to start week beginning Mon 4th September
The evenings are drawing in, the mozzies on the Downs are at
their worst. Thank goodness it'll soon be time to go indoors for
training again.
The sessions will start as they finished last year:
Tuesdays will be an open session when all are welcome including
beginners, Wednesdays will be team training for the Women's and Men's
first teams. If you're wondering about coming or coming back, stop
wondering and come along!
The first sessions will be on Tuesday 5th September at 8pm and
Wednesday 6th of September at 7pm for the Men's team and 8:30pm for
the Women's.
13/08/06: BVC players take top honours at Gloucester
It was as windy as Beerman's arse but the Red Hot Silly Feckers took top prize at
Gloucester, winning Mixed Div 1.
Rookie of the Year - CJ Thomas was unimpressed by the weather saying
she "would rather be rowing in Cambridge".
Sandrine came out of a 2 year retirement to set peaches all weekend.
The Feckers were,
Sandrine, Charlotte, Jenny, Sam, Beerman, Fats
Niall Brennan
06/04/06: BVC Ladies win GVA Cup
(Back L-R): Jenny Dalhuijsen, Nathalie, Anna Lagerdahl, Hannah MacLellan
(Middle L-R): Kathrin Buchwald, Mandy Foale, Gill Bryan
(Front): Gabriela da Silva Xavier
Bristol had a convincing in over Glos University in the Women’s Cup Final. Bristol hadn’t been extended in the qualifying competition, and they started the final in similar form, taking the first set 25-11. The University made a spirited effort in Set Two, as their setters found hitter Marie Campbell, but Bristol were equal to the task and took the set 25-16. Bristol then breezed through the third set 25-8, captain Jenny Dalhuijsen being in commanding form.
Report from GVA website
06/04/06: BVC host its first annual tournament to celebrate its 20th anniversary
This year BVC is 20 years old. To celebrate this, the club organised a small tournament for teams from the local area. 9 teams took part in total, with each team playing eachother on the saturday, then the top 3 teams playing off to decide the overall winner on the sunday. This was a bit of an experiment as BVC had never organised anything like this before. But with tournament ubermeister Clive Stains at the Helm, it turned out to be a huge success. It was held at Wick FC's sports ground, in Wick on the outskirts of Bristol. This turned out to be the ideal tournament venue, with plenty of room of loads of volleyball courts and camping, a clubhouse on site (with the obligatory well-stocked bar), and beautiful scenery (helped by the perfect weather).
As the club was formed in the 80's, it seemed fitting to make this the theme for the whole weekend, which led to some 'interesting' costumes at the 80's-themed party on the saturday night, as well as during the games themselves. Whether some of the items were hired or really from people's actual wardrobes, we simply do not want to know!
As well as being fun, the weekend featured a good standard of volleyball, ranging from local league clubs, to teams with National League players.
As well as celebrating BVC's 20th birthday, the tournament also raised £434 for the Ability Sports Association charity. With it proving such a success, it is hoped that the Wick tournament will become a regular fixture on the volleyball calendar, with next year's being bigger and better than ever.
Final Rankings:
1. Speedwell
2= Bristol Wing Hitters
2= Bemi Bouncers
4. Covert Ops
5. Finest Young Cannibals
6. Clevedon Spoons
7. The Chill
8. Bath
9. Bristol Bandits
Report: Chris Beer
Photos: Jirka Vejrazka
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