Monash Sport News

University Blues storm into Australian Volleyball League Finals

The University Blues women's team defeated Canberra Heat and Western Australia on the weekend (10/11 and 12/11) to grab a finals berth in their inaugural season in the Australian Volleyball League.

Knowing that wins against both Canberra and WA were required to progress through to the finals, the girls played some of their best volleyball for the season beginning with a 3:0 defeat of the Heat on Friday night (10/11). Results from other games over the weekend provided a clear scenario for Uni Blues – defeat WA on Sunday (12/11) in three sets, keep them under a combined 53 points and a finals berth was guaranteed.

In a nail-biting game, the Uni Blues prevailed in three sets: 25 – 21, 25 – 9 and 25 – 20 and kept WA to 50 points. Captain Mary Dempster lead from the front with some great passing, Neira Borcic was dominant at the net in both attack and blocked shots and Shannon Campbell was the go-to hitter during the game.

In a fantastic end to their season, the University Blues men's team also had a clean sweep against Canberra and WA winning each match in three sets. Their three successive wins to end the season, including an upset against league-leaders the AIS augurs well for a highly competitive 2007.

University Blues women will play their semi-final and medal game on the 2 and 3 December at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre. The women's Bronze Medal match will be replayed on SBS television at 11.00am on the 24 December, while the Gold Medal match will be televised at 11.00am on 14 January.

Story courtesy of Rod Warnecke, Melbourne University Sport.

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