This wasn’t so much a round to show the improvement of our crew across months of lockdown… it was an opportunityto prove they were ready for the highest level.
EVIE AND LUCIA WIN AA
Dropped from AAA – the top tier in the state – for round 2, having made their first final only two events prior; Lucia and Evie almost didn’t play.
They were disappointed. The girls won AA so emphatically last year, that it was not a surprise they finished the 2019/20 season with a place in their first AAA final. At 15, Evie was the youngest female to achieve such a result…. playing with her 18yo sister.
The decision to play Round 2 spoke volumes of their tenacity. They decided to prove a point.
In a pool of five, they made it through without losing a set. They were though, tested when playing against fellow VBVA Elite crew member Talia, and her partner, VBVA coach Cori Wilder.
Breezing past their semi-final opponents 15-8, 15-8, Lucia and Evie then pushed up a gear for the final… treating the small crowd gathered to a master-class 15-6, 15-7 win over the exceptional defence of Reimer/Nguyen, as the sun set behind them.
Immediate entry into AAA for Round 3, the girls won’t be making up the numbers, they’ll be pushing to make another final.
JOEY & DALLAS VS THE KAYS… IN A’S!
Joey, Dallas, Will and Sam also found themselves down a division, having both finished 3rd in their AA pools a round earlier.
Round 1 was a strong level for AA, and all four boys had held their own, both pairs only a points countback from breaking into the quarters.
Their inevitable frustration was compounded upon being placed in the same pool.
Neither pair let that frustration creep in to their game though, providing a AA quality first round match up; Will and Sam scraping through in three sets. This meant an easier run through to the final for the Kay bros…
As expected, both pairs finished their semi’s in straight sets, ensuring a VBVA bookend to the day. That first round was won in three close sets, by the brothers, the final looked to be heading the other way.
Joey and Dallas grabbed the first set 18-11, and were steady throughout the second, only for Will and Sam to somehow break through and sneak a 19-17 win. In a tight third set, the Kay brothers scraped through, with a 15-13 win.
A game so high in quality, it resembled more a AAA level than a third tier final.
HONORABLE MENTIONS…
Sienna, partnering with Stephanie, made semi-finals of A Women, losing to the division winners 8-15, 11-15.
In the other A Women semi Caitie, playing with state team partner Lulu, lost a close match 15-6, 12-15, 12-15.
Well done to the rest of the crew, some good results in there.
