News and Announcements

Dear Members,

The club shop to get Winchester Eagles training tops, together with tracksuit tops and trackpants are now live. Initials or numbers can be added to clothing, if you wish.

It is the last day to get a delivery discount using WEDC, which expires on 18 Feb.

So do have a look and see what you would like to order, if you wish!

https://kmd-clubshops.co.uk/product-category/winchester-eagles-volleyball/

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Last night, both Winchester Eagles Mixed teams played two games at SADVA: one against the Gosport Jedi and the second against each other in an all-Eagles derby.
First on were the “oldies’ team” facing the Gosport Jedi. It all started with David’s insidious serves down the line, over and over again. The Gosport Jedi just could not return the ball and before they knew it, it was 6-0 for the Eagles. When the Jedi finally gained the serve, it got even worse for them. Captain Andy was simply unstoppable at the net and kept on bombarding them with powerful killer hits. At one point, it got so scary on the Jedi court that one player had to duck out of the way to save her head. Timidly, the Gosport Jedi tried to build a counter attack but things did not get any better there: they simply could not get past Andy’s insurmountable block. They tried with their hits, they tried with their tips, they even tried with their volleys but the ball kept on bouncing back in their face. All it took was a few tricky serves by Fab and Ollie and the first set was over.

In the second set, the Gosport Jedi tried a come-back but they stood no chance. Relentless and clever attacks from our unstoppable middle players – Andy and Ollie – and effective hits from our wing hitters – Claire, Parakram and Fab – left setter Angie spoilt for choice. The second set was quickly over and the Gosport Jedi never made it to double digits.
Next was the derby. The young Eagles put on a much better fight than the Jedi against the oldies and did manage to get to double figures in both sets. There were some really good serves from Julio and Lou that caused some trouble and an overall great team effort from the young Eagles. Liv and Liz bravely attacked against Andy’s block. Robin, Tania, Beth and the whole team fought hard to defend the strong hits coming their way. However, once again David’s serves gave the oldies a comfortable initial lead and they youngsters were never able to catch up. So it was one set nil for the oldies.
In the second set, the young Eagles renewed their resolve not to be easily beaten. There were some excellent passes from Robin, Tania, Christian and Beth. With spectacular defence efforts from Luh and Scott and some power hits down the line from Christian and Tania, the oldies had to work hard to secure the second set but once again they prevailed and took the match 2-0, concluding the game with a brave jump-serve from David.

In the final game, the young Eagles faced the Gosport Jedi. After a shaky start, the Eagles regained their composure and fought hard throughout the first set. Unfortunately, the Jedi won it, mainly thanks to their aggressive serves.
In the second set, the Eagles made some tactical changes in their passing unit and started to have more control in their power hits. The Eagles’ serves became more effective too and they managed to secure the second set.
The decider was going to be a tie-break and what a set it was! The Eagles’ fight was amazing and the two teams kept on trading points head to head throughout the set. When it looked like all was lost, some aggressive serves from Lou made it all possible again. Unluckily, because of time constraints, the tie-break score was capped at 23 and the Eagles lost it by just one point. Yes, they were beaten but they could definitely hold their heads high.
After a panicky moment when it looked like we had all been locked in at Woodlands, both teams headed to the pub for the customary celebratory drinks. The only absentee was the team mascot, Arsie the Eagle. Where are you, Arsie and when are we going to see you back on court? Surely, if we keep on winning, Arsie will be back soon. Watch this space.

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On Saturday 15th January, our juniors took part in their second Hampshire Volleyball Association tournament. This time, HVA made entries available only in the Under 14s and Under 16s categories and the Eagles fielded four teams. With no Under 12s, the two Eagles Under 12s teams – “White Tailed Eagles” (Mixed) and “Brown Snake Eagles” (Girls) had to compete in the Under 14s categories, together with the two “Black Eagles” teams (Under 14 Boys and the Under 14 Girls).
Once again, all our athletes impressed us and made all parents and coaches extremely proud. The Under 12s fought very bravely against older, bigger and more experienced players and even managed to beat some of the Under 14s teams.
Our Under 14s had to face some very strong and skillful squads but they immediately rose to the challenge. They certainly surprised us all when they started blocking and hitting to keep up with the opposition, using skills that we had not had time to introduce at practice yet.
It was lovely to see what an impressive progress all our players made in just a few months. There was great team play, aggressive serves, lots of three touches and rallies and even some improvised hits, tips and blocks.
We all look forward to seeing them perform again at the next HVA tournament on 12th March.

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Today at the HVA Grand Prix, the Winchester Eagles Ladies played three tough games, all against teams that they had faced in November and December 2021. But this is 2022: New Year, new team and it was pay back time. The first match was against Guernsey Ladies and it was always going to be a tough one. Back in December, the Eagles had lost to them at the tie break by a handful of points and they were determined not to let that happen again. In the first set, the Eagles had a shaky start and Guernsey Ladies took an early lead. However, just when the Guernsey Ladies were starting to relax and think it was going to be an easy win, the Eagles started fighting back big time and it got to 23 all. If it hadn’t been for a random whistle blow that made the Eagles players stop, the Eagles would have definitely taken the set, led in their comeback by Courtney’s amazing serves. But unfortunately the first set went to the Guernsey Ladies by a couple of points. The second set was close too, with both teams trading points but in the end the Eagles took it and they went on to win the tie break too. Great start of the morning for the Winchester Eagles and just reward for a team that never gave up and fought for every point.

The second game was easier. The Eagles were facing South Hants Ladies, a team they had already beaten back in November. South Hants went on court with a mixture of experienced players and promising juniors, but they could not do much against the unstoppable Eagles Ladies. The Eagles took advantage of their early lead 5-0 (again, amazing serves by Courtney) to refine their tactics: ball distribution improved dramatically, the Eagles’ attacks became undefendable and we started to see some very effective use of backcourt hits. Defensively, the Eagles protected the court impeccably, with great and prompt comms and very well-adjusted positioning on court. Always starting with a comfortable lead, the Eagles were free to practise their aggressive serves and they took both sets quite easily, with South Hants barely reaching double figures.

After the resting and reffing break, the Eagles Ladies had to get their focus back because their last game was the one they wanted to win the most. The Golden Ladies had beaten them in their very first game of the HVA league back in November and the Eagles were ready to take their revenge. This time, they knew all the Golden Ladies’ tricks and they were not going to be taken by surprise. The Golden Ladies had two very strong players who dominated the court. They also had another two very experienced players who, despite serving underarm, had won way too many points with their tricky serves, not only (frustratingly) against the Eagles back in November, but even against SVC today (despite the fact that SVC had fielded mostly NVL players). The Eagles Ladies were smart and they neutralised the Golden Ladies’ servers with strategic positioning on court in serve-receive. The move worked and the killer serves simply didn’t happen for the Golden Ladies this time. Still, the Eagles had to keep their cool because the Golden Ladies were good at returning the ball defensively and had two very strong hitters. However, the Eagles put great pressure on them with aggressive serves and relentless attacks, both front and backcourt. The Eagles tactics worked and every single player gave 100% for every point and it showed. The Eagles won both sets to take the game. It was celebration time! Three games, three wins. This is the Winchester Eagles 2022 team. And we absolutely love them!

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Today our juniors had their last session of 2021 and played a fun Christmas tournament in their festive attire.
All teams gave their all and we witnessed some truly amazing serves and very good team spirit.
Santa’s Little Helpers, The Naughty List, The Red-Nose Reindeer and The Secret Santas faced each other in timed mini-games.
Congratulations to the Secret Santas who came first with four wins and well done to all the teams for their impressive efforts.
The session ended with treats for everyone and Festive Greetings from the Coaching Team.
Check out our Club Website for some team pictures. Have a fabulous Christmas break and we look forward to seeing you all back on court in 2022.