Upweyvolleyball

MATCH RESULTS

Quarter final
Upwey lost to Bethleheim College 0-2, 23-25,25-27
Upwey finally pushed their luck too far against quality opposition and will now have to settle for a 5-8th finish. The team has not produced anywhere near their best form in the championships but has been able to scrape victories in games they should have perhaps lost. Coming into a cut throat quarter final was always going to be a tough ask without a great improvement in play, communication and approach and it did not happen bringing about a loss. We were beaten by a team that prepared better, played tougher and worked harder for the entire match. The girls fought hard but made unforced errors at vital moments and handed the first set to Bethleheim. The second set started badly and we found ourselves 8 points down and headed home but to the girls credit they got themselves back to 23 all before again making an unforced error. The game eventually going to Bethleheim 27-25.
Next match is 7.00pm nz tonight.
Day 3 Final 16
9.30 nz. events centre Rotorua
Upwey d Trident A 2-1 25.23,17.25,15.10
In a game with little bearing on the overall tournament results Upwey and Trident met in a "friendly" The teams are great friends and Trident will again visit us in September 2010. Still bragging rights were up for grabs in the long history between these two volleyball heavyweights. Upwey started well racing to a 7-3 lead then hanging on while Trident upped the tempo of the game. The middle stages of the set saw Trident take advantage of some poor blocking and defence in position 1 by Upwey and Trident worked out to a 19-15 lead. Some substitutions and a stronger backcourt worked in Upwey's favour in the final points Upwey taking 9 of the last 12 points of the set to win 25-23.
The second set saw a number of positional changes with Emma and Bri setting and at 7-8 the set was evenly poised. Trident quickened their attack and the Upwey defence gave too many freeballs and suffered losing the next five points. A late rally by Upwey put us in a good position for the decider going down 17-25.
Another 3 setter and down 6-8 at the turn, Stef Ashmore came on and added some extra bite in setting. The team lifted and showed great determination in attacking their way out of trouble to win 9 of the last 12 points.
A good effort but in perspective one having no effect on our tournament.

At 2.00 pm nz we meet Bethlehem in a knockout quarter final. A win will ensure a medal.
The girls are well, rested and quietly confident. We are getting better each match. It is now that all the hard work both on and off the court in the last 10 months has to be drawn on..the opposition only gets stronger.

Most teams have been great to us but it is difficult playing where no one wants you to win. Big crowds around the courts certainly let us know we are not their favourites. The girls have worked hard to block this out and it is a fantastic learning experience for all of them.

DAY 2 Final 16
9.30 nz. events centre Rotorua
Upwey d Aorere College 2-1, 25-14,23-25, 15-12
Finally Upwey hit the court with some determination, sense of purpose and willingness to work hard for results. In a first set where Upwey quietened the islander team with a solid all round performance, Leah 3 kills, Taneil 3 kills, Stef 2 kills, Molly 2 kills.
The danger was again unforced errors which inflated Aorere's tally.
The second set saw 2 changes with Georgia replacing Kirsty P and Emma replacing Bri. The atomosphere was not the same in the team huddle and it showed on the court. Unforced errors and undisciplined play took over and it was back to day 1 in the quality of ball getting to the setters. Despite this eratic play we held a solid lead but Aorere were getting louder and more confident and overan us to take the set.
A return to the starting line up brought little change to the demeanour of the team and turning 8-7 this was going to be another tight match. At 10-11 down some strong serving was the only way we could break down the spirited Aorere performance who were keen to inflict an upset on the Aussies. Eventually Upwey prevailed narrowly while pushing their luck to the limit.

Further improvement must come this afternoon. At 5.00 pm nz we meet Hamilton and a win will guarantee a top 8 finish. Final pool match is tomorrow against Trident.

Match 2 Final 16 3.00pm NZ Events Centre Rotorua
Upwey d Hamilton 2-0, 25-14, 25-15
Upwey finally found some consistent form in a clinical disposal of Hamilton to virtually book a top 8 finish and a knock out quarter final on Thursday afternoon.
Showing more aggression and upping the tempo, Upwey jumped to a 9-1 lead in the first on the back of some exceptional serving by Bri Horne. Showing a willingness to use all hitters and move the ball around at speed Upwey looked a different team than the one which took the court in the morning. Hamilton worked hard in the middle stages but Upwey controlled the ball much better and won easily.
The second set was quite even until Bri Horne went back to serve again to reel off 7 points in a dominant display playing her best match for the tournament. She was helped by the steadiness of Emma Brown and some solid work by Georgia Martin. With a greater confidence the team was able to do what it had been unable to do for the tournament thus far which was to dispose of an opponent giving them no second chances.

The outcome of Trident V Aorere tonight may have bearing on what we need to do tomorrow. A trident gives us a final 8 finish whereas a Aorere win means we must beat Trident tomorrow.
The game is at 9.30 nz time.

MATCH RESULTS

Day 1 8.30 am NZ.Events Centre Rotorua
Match 1. Upwey d One Tree Hill 2.0 25.5, 25.13
First up match against 31st ranked NZ team and the result was as it should have been. We still made errors and did not use our systems we have put in place. Everyone had good court time. Stef Ashmore captained the team and served well. Some nice net work by Taneil Fudge in the first set showed promise of things to come.
A good team talk after the match gave us plenty of things to work on.
This afternoon we have a match against 18th ranked NZ team at 1.00 then the 15th ranked NZ team at 5.00.
If we win these two matches we will move through to top 16 tomorrow.

Match 2 1.00pm NZ Events Centre Rotorua
Upwey d Oetomoetai B 2.0 26-24, 25-22
Upwey limped to an unimpressive win against NZ no 18 in Rotorua today. With many uncharacteristic unforced errors we never looked like producing anything near our best form and must consider ourselves very lucky to get the points.
Our outside hitters had no impact on the match at all and are having difficulty getting into the game. Our tempo has been slow and we have not shown much enthusiasm or flair in our game.
The exception in the first set was Leah Simpson who chalked up 5 kills from 9 attacks. She was supported early by Taneil fudge who posted 2 early kills before fading. Stef Ashmore finished well with 2 well timed kills including a clever tip in the final points.

3 changes in the starting line up for the second set did little to improve the style of play and a poor opening was covered by a stronger second half of the set. Kirsti Considine looked likely with 3 kills from her 4 attacks while Bri Horne captaining the team chipped in with 3 kills from 3 attacks (2 tips) at crucial stages. Leah Simpson scored 2 kills off limited chances to make it 7 for the match. In all we survived what looked like a disaster through a bit of luck and some poor serving by the opposition. A long team meeting was held to sort out some problems.

Match 3 5.00pm NZ Events Centre Rotorua.
Upwey d Rangitoto 2-0, 25-14,23-25,16-14
A much better start against the NZ number 15 with much more enthusiasm, increased speed and improved communication.
Stef Ashmore and Leah Simpson starred in the win Stef chalked up 5 kills from 9 attacks while Leah had 3 kills from 4. Taneil Fudge served very aggressively with 7 Aces from 11 serves.
The second set was poor from the start with 3 changes interupting the game flow. Eilish Devers was covering the back court well but we were unable to attack and tipped too much. Leah had 2 kills while Georgia Martin got busy with 6 attacks for 2 kills. It was dissappointing to go down after such a good first set.

The third set was a scramble and we turned 8-7 but a Stef serving error made it 8 all and we fell away badly. At 9-14 down all seemed
lost but Kirsty Peterson had other ideas and served us to 14 all until we finally prevailed 16-14. A gutsy comeback from a poor position and the girls finally showed some emotion being elated with the outcome.

This sends us through top of the pool and into the final 16. We have 2 matches tomorrow. 1 at 9.30 and one at 3.00. The final pool match is on Thursday morning against Trident A our old friends.
We need to win at least two of these matches to go through to the knockout quarter finals on Thursday evening. We need to up our play a great deal but we can do it.

Kiora from New Zealand
We arrived safely thanks to Emirates, great flight,great food.

Day 1 Auckland. Went to dinner then to Auckland City to the Sky Bungy. A great experience with everyone loving it...except Georgia Martin...but she did it anyway (a brave girl) Lots of onlookers as the mad aussies took over town. Next to our traditional hot chocky or coffee at Starbucks...those walking green men are still here at the intersections girls.

Day 2 Auckland to Rotorua. Up early for a nice drive stopping at the Big Sheep along the way, one mum has been sick but is recovering. Lots of shopping at the big sheep and then on to Rotorua for White water rafting.. 3 rafts and no one flipped...the girls were great and absolutely loved the experience..the mums on the other hand loved it but had trouble listening to instructions...the paddle now instruction was a little too difficult for some of them...(must have been the accent!) Leanne was awful but the rest of us got her down the river safely....then home for Traditional fesh and chup dinner.
For those who have been here before Hayley and Savanah say hello.

Day 3 Rotorua. Up the mountain, sky swing, lugeing then off to the Zorb...what a day. Tonight we add a new activity..Hungi (traditional maori evening with storytelling, songs, dancing and dinner in the Maori style at a Maori village. We have had a great time so far.(every guy is hot evidently!)
Tomorrow we go to Lake Taupo and the mud pools, Jet Boating and Hooka falls on the way..then lots of shopping and overnight at the HOUSE.

the food is great and we don't miss Australia yet. Check out our photos on this page and the New Zealand Tour 09 page then write a note to us using the space above...we would love to hear from you

Night Day 3. The Hungi
An amazing cultural experience for everyone last night at the Hungi.
With a fantastically entertaining guide and chief Nuttar.. Bundy was elected chief of the family and had to confront Maori warriors with 2 other elected chiefs, one from Canada and one from Malaysia. We were led into the beautiful tribal village where were learnt about Maori culture with a show then into the feeding house for a great meal..some were so full I don't think they can play volleyball anymore! The mums went berserk not a single bit of food left. Then out to see how our food was prepared in the ground. The bus journey driven by Nuttar home was just hilarious, lots of aussie tunes...Taneil starred on the way home...a favourite of Nuttar along with Eilish.
Today is Jet boating, Hooka falls and mud pools. More photos uploaded today about 2.00 aus time. This computer is not uploading well.
We are having a ball, all well not missing Aus.

Day 4 3.00pm nz.
Hey guys, the weather is great today, very sunny and warm. Everyone is a bit tired after last nights entertainment and the bus was a bit quiet heading towards Lake Taupo. Stopped at the mud pools for some plopping mud...great for all of you studying vocanic activity. Down the road to jet boating with RapidsJet. We all got soaked jumping through the rapids and doing the spins. The ride was great fun, we intended to go on to Hooka falls but we are now leaving this till tomorrow. We booked in at the house in KAKA Street. There is snow on the distant moutains and the view from the balcony is spectacular. Nice lunch then the girls are off on shopping therapy in Taupo. Later tonight some of the girls will cook for us...Everyone is happy, spending money shopping and looking at guys..sounds like the perfect trip for them..
But even so we still have some intellectually challenged players. Question from Kirsti Considine.....does the Tasmanian ferry come to New Zealand. and how come it takes the ferry 12 hours to get from Melbourne to Tassie and we got to NZ in 3. (its called a plane Kirsti!)
Anyway a relaxing day today and tonight then back to rotorua for the opening ceremony tomorrow night.
Nuttar is coming to watch us play which the girls are delighted about.

Day5.
Last night was relaxing at the house..a nice dinner cooked by the girls. The lounge was cleared of furniture and some great performances took place..Bri - outstanding..Kirsti C gave a wonderful performance as a rock. All on video...lots of noise then off to Taupo for some hot chocky by the lake...Georgia was naughty and threw up on the Taupo footpath after Kirsti C (Rock) made her laugh too much...very embarrassing but the Kiwis have seen it all and the waiter brought some water and told us not to worry. An interesting walk back to the accom. The today we have visited the incredible Huka Falls, impossible to describe how beautiful this place is. (check out the new photos on the nZ 09 page.)We are back at base in Rotorua and have a training session this afternoon at 4 pm before the opening ceremony at 5.30 nz time.
First match is at 8.30 nz tomorrow so the scores will be up when you get up...3 matches tomorrow.

Piczo