Winchester Eagles Volleyball Club

Last night, the Golden Eagles took home another two 2-0 victories, securing their place at the top of the SADVA League.
The first match was against SVC first team. After a great start, the Eagles relaxed a bit too much, the intensity dropped and the Southampton team was sneakily closing the point gap. A time out allowed the Eagles to regain focus and put a stop to the opposition’s attempted come back, with the Eagles closing the set 21-18.
In the second set, the Eagles dominated the game from start to finish and SVC could do nothing against the Winchester team’s relentless attacks and strong serves. The set finished 21-12 to the Eagles. Olli was unstoppable at the net and won many aces with his serve, bringing home a very well-deserved MVP.
The second game was against the Gosport Jedi. The Eagles stayed in what Dave calls “the red zone” from start to finish. Passing was accurate and defence excellent (including block cover coaches will be pleased to hear). This left setter Angie spoilt for choice and the Eagles were able to build attacks using the whole length of the net, killing every single ball. Gareth, David, Paul and Claire were very effective from the wings and from backcourt too. Olli and Liz blasted the opposition away with their fast middle hits. On top of their aggressive attacks, the Eagles knocked the opposition over with powerful serves. The score was 21-12 in the first set and 12-8 in the second. What a stunning performance for the Golden Eagles, who were missing some of their players this week but still managed to win all their games. Well done everyone!

The Winchester Eagles Ladies Team had an amazing day at HVA today, bringing home three 2-0 victories, bringing them one step closer to SEVA.
The first game, against Guernsey Ladies, was the toughest. Guernsey is a team that had done very well at HVA last season and the Eagles were very keen to beat them. Our Ladies started very strong, with a series of killer serves from Liz that took them to 8-0. The Guernsey side was never able to recover from that. The Eagles kept the pressure on with more strong serves from all players and hard hits from the middle and the wings and the set was soon over.
The second set saw the Eagles dominating again and allowed coach Robin to bring in more players, to make use of a 12-strong squad. Our setter Fab worked very hard to keep all the hitters busy and the Eagles won the game 2-0.
After reffing a very tight game – SVC vs Guernsey Ladies, the Eagles knew that their next game versus SVC was going to be challenging too, as SVC was fielding quite a number of their NVL players.
At times, the Eagles found themselves under pressure against hard serves, but they responded well coming together as a team with a strong passing unit. They counter attacked with equally aggressive serves and relentless hits from both front and backcourt. There were some very good rallies with great play on both sides, but the Eagles came on top thanks to their superior skills and determination.
The last game against South Hants was an easier one, which gave Robin the chance to try players in different positions and make a lot of substitutions. Our youngest players proved very resilient when put under pressure and the Eagles brought home another 2-0 victory.
An awesome day of volleyball for the Eagles. Well played everyone. A huge THANK YOU to our coach Robin who, once again, did a brilliant job.

Last night, the Golden Eagles and the Black Eagles Mixed Teams played against each other and against SVC in the SADVA League.
In the first game, the Black Eagles started strong, easily beating SVC 2-0. It was great to see our young new players Tamsin and Anna coming on court so confidently on their first SADVA game. Well done girls! A special mention needs to go to Scott too, for entertaining the audience with his spectacular acrobatic dives.
The second game was an all-Eagles derby and there was a lot of banter across the net. Although the Black Eagles put up a good fight, especially in the second set, the Golden Eagles secured the game with a 2-0 win. It was lovely to see some of our veteran players back on court despite their various ailments. The game saw great performances all around for both Eagles teams.
In the last game the Golden Eagles faced SVC. Despite their best efforts, SVC couldn’t do much against a much stronger and more experienced side. The Eagles took advantage to practise some killer serves, shoot attacks and backcourt hits to add to the fun. It was a quick 2-0 to the Eagles, which allowed both Eagles teams to head early to the pub for the customary celebratory drinks.
Well played everyone!

Last night the Winchester Eagles Ladies played their first two games of the 2022-23 SADVA League. The Eagles got to Woodlands with a strong ten-player team, giving coach Robin lots of options.

In their first game against Salisbury, the Eagles dominated the game. After a hesitant start, the team found its stride and secured the first set 21-11.

In the second set, the Eagles’ serves were just too strong for the opposition and the Eagles soon gained a very big lead, giving coach Robin the chance to experiment and try players in new positions. The set finished 21-2 to the Eagles. MVP went to Grace, who had her debut game with the team and proved an excellent middle player.

The second game was against SVC, a much stronger side with some very good servers. The Eagles, however, stepped up their game, neutralising the opposition’s aggressive serves with a stable and disciplined passing unit.

Strong serves and attacks from the Eagles let them secure the first set 21-15. In the second set, the Eagles set the pace and totally dominated the game, finishing the set 21-11. MVP went to Tania, who had her own devoted fun club to support her.

Very well done to our young new players, who performed extremely well even when coming on mid-set.

A great start of the season for the Ladies, with two decisive 2-0 wins.

The evening ended with the customary celebrations at the pub. A huge thank you to coach Robin, who managed the team so well. Well played everyone.

Today, our juniors dressed in their Christmas attire to take part in a festive end-of-the-year club tournament.
The Jingle Ballers, the Grinch Gang, the Ho Ho Hoes and the Noel it All competed in a series of very close 4 v 4 games, putting their volleyball skills to the test.
Well done to the Jingle Ballers who took home the gold and congratulations to our new players who bravely stepped on court for their first ever games.
The session ended with some very exciting 2 v 2 champions games. All the Eaglets then collected their Christmas treats and had a team cheer.
Well done everyone!
We wish all our juniors and their families a Happy Festive Season and we look forward to seeing everyone in the New Year..