All teams were still in the running for finals on the last weekend of games.

However, after some hard fought games Victoria, Canberra Heat, NSW and AIS will go through to the finals.

The ladder at the end of the rounds is:

1. Victoria – 10 Wins (Sets For/Against 32/13)
2. Canberra Heat - 9 Wins (Sets 32/14)
3. New South Wales - 8 Wins (Sets 26/23)
4. AIS – 5 Wins (Sets 26/24)
5. WA Hornets – 4 Wins (Sets 20/32)
6. University Blues (Vic) – 3 Wins (Sets 19/33)
7. UTSSU (NSW) – 3 Wins (Sets 16/32)

More details can be found at http://www.v-league.net/men/2011-Men

There were three V-League games played last weekend in Canberra and Sydney.

On Friday night in Canberra, the AIS defeated Canberra Heat 3:2 (22-25, 25-20, 25-19, 16-25, 15-12).

Then on Sunday in Sydney the AIS beat UTSSU in 3 sets (25-15, 25-17, 26-24) and NSW edged out the Canberra Heat in a tough 5 setter (21-25, 25-27, 30-28, 25-16, 15-13).

The final round of V-League matches sees all 7 teams playing this weekend in either Melbourne or Canberra.

NSW and UTSSU travel to Canberra to take on the Heat and the AIS, while WA head to Melbourne to play 2 matches against both Victoria and Uni Blues.

Spots in the top 4 are still up for grabs so results this weekend will be vital for those teams trying to qualify for the finals weekend in Canberra at the start of December.

Full details at: http://www.v-league.net/men/2011-Men

Congratulations to the winners from round 1 of the Renault National Beach Volleyball Series.

Men’s winner: Bo Soderberg/Tristan Boyd
Women’s Winner: Alice Rohkamper/Mariafe Artacho del Solar

Anyone with any news and views?

Newsletter Lega Volley: Italy wins All Star Volley 2011 – Marcello Gabana Memorial.
Result
Italia – Team All Star 3-2 (25-22, 19-25, 26-24, 19-25, 19-17)

ITALIA – TEAM ALL STAR 3-2 (25-22, 19-25, 26-24, 19-25, 19-17) – ITALIA: Mastrangelo 11, Parodi 7, Bari (L), Lasko 6, Zaytsev 14, Boninfante, Savani 17, Buti 3, Travica 5, Fei 9, Birarelli 5, Giovi L, Sabbi 3, Rosso 1. Coach. Berruto.

TEAM ALL STAR: Kaziyski 11, Henno (L), Rossini L, Lebl 5, Juantorena 12, Popp 5, De, Grbic, Sokolov 24, Roca 9, Zingel 3, Bjelica 8. Coach. Stoytchev.

The All Star Game – Marcello Gabana Memorial in Monza proved to be a beautiful occasion. The fans came numerous and enjoyed a great show between the Italian National Team and a selection of some of the best foreign players in the Serie A, the All Star Team. This was however, and before all, the opportunity to honour the memory of Monza’s President, Marcello Gabana, who passed away in a tragic air crash two years ago. Volleyball was Marcello Gabana’s beloved sport and bringing the best players the sport has to offer in the country for him was the best tribute possible.
Among the various other fixtures of this All Star 2011, there was the special guest Cesar Cielo, a record man in swimming, who took a picture with his conational Raphael Vieira De Oliveira. There was also the innovative slow motion camera, which will help evaluate the blocking situations at the net.
Finally, the main man of this encounter was Tsvetan Sokolov, who was elected MVP.

Mauro Berruto (coach Italy): “The quality of this game was very high, thanks to excellent players on both teams. I was looking for a test before going to Japan and I am very happy to have benefited from this opportunity, this was extremely useful. Besides I feel at home in Monza, I spent a lot of time here this summer with the national team, and I am obviously very proud to be here with these players, not only to celebrate the All Star game but also to pay tribute to Marcello Gabana, which had desired so much to bring volleyball to this arena”.

Dragan Travica (Italy): “We had a good feeling about this game, this was a long one, in which we have been able to try various things. It’s been extremely useful for us, and winning, even in friendlies, is always nice. I hope everybody enjoyed the occasion. As far as I’m concerned, being back in Monza is a great feeling for me. I have had a fantastic experience both as a person and as a professional, and meeting up again with some former teammates and fans was really nice”.

Simone Buti (Italy): “I think this game proved there is a good understanding between us. We could see we’re ready for the next ‘official’ test. Now things are getting exciting: I hope to do well in Japan”.

Cristian Savani (Italy): “I think tonight was a great opportunity to play in front of a big crowd of knowledgeable fans at the end of a week in which there was an intense build up as we’re on our way to Japan. It was nice to see all those people coming here to pay tribute to Marcello Gabana”.

Martin Lebl (All Star Team): “A great night of volleyball, I think the supporters enjoyed themselves, there have been some great rallies. And I think such an event is the best way to pay tribute to a person that has been extremely important to volleyball and to thank his family who keep investing and believing in the sport. Marcello Gabana would have loved an evening like that”.

Osmany Juantorena (All Star Team): “When they called me to come to this All Star Volley to honour the memory of Marcello Gabana, I immediately accepted. The game was long and hard-fought, despite the fact that was a friendly. Congratulations to the Italian national team and best of luck to them for the World Cup in Japan”.

Radostin Stoytchev (coach All Star Team): “It was a honour to coach a team with so many stars and in such an important evening. I thank the players for coming here tonight and the Gabana family for giving me this opportunity. They are a great family who are giving so much to Italian volleyball”.

A great weekend of V-League action just gone, with 8 games being played between Canberra and Perth.

Saturday
In the top of the table clash Victoria defeated Canberra Heat 3-1 in the first game in Canberra (25-23, 18-25, 25-23, 25-21)

The Vics then defeated the AIS 3-1 later that afternoon (25-17, 18-25, 25-19, 25-17)

In Perth, the WA Hornets defeated UTSSU 3-2 (27-29 25-20 20-25 25-19 15-6) to move up the ladder into the top four.

NSW then defeated the WA Hornets 3-0 that afternoon (25-20, 25-19, 25-22)

Sunday
The Canberra Heat got back on track with a comfortable 3-0 win over Victoria (25-20, 25-23, 25-17)

Victoria then finished the weekend with 3 wins from 4 games, after defeating the AIS in 3 sets (25-22, 25-19, 25-23)

In Perth, UTSSU defeated the WA Hornets 3-1 (23-25, 25-22, 25-22, 25-14)

Then NSW continued their winning run defeating WA in an intense 5 setter (25-27, 25-19, 27-29, 25-23, 15-11)

Full V-League Draw/Results/Ladder at the v-league website

It’s now only 2 weeks left until team entries close for the 46th Good Neighbour Tournament on November 26th and 27th in Canberra.

Follow the links at volleyball act’s website. I’ll upload the full rego package later today.

This summer will see the launch of the National Beach Volleyball Series [NBVS] in Australia.

After a four-year absence, the much-anticipated return of professional beach volleyball will make beaches across the country hot items on the calendar for both athletes and fans of the sport.

Staged on iconic beach locations and featuring some of Australia’s and the world’s elite beach volleyball athletes, the series will deliver a unique experience via a fusion of sport, music and entertainment.

Australia’s top men and women’s professional teams will be fighting it out along with visiting international teams, with many of the athletes vying for a spot in the London 2012 Olympics.

The 2011/12 Series will deliver eight rounds, 50 days on the beach, running from November 2011 to March 2012.

Locations include Surfers Paradise (QLD), St Kilda (VIC), Newcastle (NSW), Scarborough (WA), Glenelg (SA) and Manly (NSW) with the first event commencing on the November 11th at Newcastle Nobbys Beach.

The non-ticketed events are open free of charge to the public. Throughout the series, entertainment will look to include live bands, DJs and evening music performances accompanied by interactive activation zones and chill out areas.

The NBVS will deliver a professional centre court and precinct that is only replicated on the World Tour, that includes 76m of LED court signage, big screens, staging, corporate and VIP area, athletes village, media centre, and seating for up to 1000 spectators.

With only three weeks until first event, the teams at Nexus MG, AVF and BVA are working around the clock to bring this exciting series to life with sponsors and partners.

Luke Jenkinson, Director of Nexus MG states “We are all excited about the progress and development of the events, we have high expectations of ourselves and others, and big aspirations for years to come. Our objectives are long term that all starts with a bumper first year, with the plan to build momentum event by event”.

With official announcements of the series still to come, Luke further explains – “There is a lot of work to be done obviously by first event, as this should be a template for the remaining rounds, so we are very deliberate with our approach and are sensitive to releasing information that is still evolving. We want all key stakeholders to understand expectations and deliverables from day one, eliminating any misinterpretation.”

The season handbook is available on the NBVS official website which is available at www.beachvolleyballseries.com.au. Registration cost for the series for each team per event starts at $120 with an elevated option at $180 per team to receive further benefits. Nomination for round one will be available online to submit commencing October 19, 2011 with deadline of October 27.

The prize money for each round stands at seven thousand dollars total.

The series is scheduled to be launched at the Gold Coast on 1 November 2011 with key partners, brand ambassadors, sponsors, athletes and media involved.

The key stakeholders Nexus MG (promoters and organisers), Beach Volleyball Australia (tournament operations), and governing bodies Federation of International Volleyball and Australian Volleyball Federation, share a strong vision for the future the series.

Series and Event Partners will be announced in the coming weeks, along with official event programming for Newcastle round one, including the site layout.

Refer to confirmed event schedule below to view specific dates and locations.

2011

Round 1 November 11-13 Newcastle Beach, NSW

Round 2 December 16-18 Glenelg Beach, SA

2012

Round 3 January 20-22 Surfers Paradise Beach, QLD

Round 4 February 3-5 St Kilda Beach, VIC

Round 5 February 17-19 St Kilda Beach, VIC

Round 6 March 9-11 Surfers Paradise Beach, QLD

Round 7 March 16-18 Scarborough Beach, WA

Round 8 March 30 – April 1 Manly Beach, NSW