The 2023 Australian Youth Volleyball Championships are underway in Bendigo, VIC this week.

Final Day - Medal Day

It's been a long and taxing week but the NSW Phoenix have come away from the 2023 Australian Youth Volleyball Championships with seven glittering medals.

Our Under 14 Boys faced a tricky opponent in the boys from QLD Maroon in their gold medal match.  Unfortunately, they were too strong and our boys went down 0-3.  They can hold their heads up high with their silver medals firmly around their neck.

The Under 14 Girls finished their week in 6th place with a loss against QLD White but the experience they gained over the week will only help them grow moving into future years.

It was a nail biter in the Under 15 Boys bronze medal playoff against SA.  Going all the way to 5 sets they mustered the strength to push through and managed to secure the final set 15-12 and safely bring that bronze medal home.

It wasn't to be for our Under 15 Girls who, despite a couple of close sets lost to QLD Maroon 0-3 finishing 4th overall.  It was great to see the girls bounce back after a tough first half of the week.

Our table toppers the Under 16 Boys Sky team unfortunately had their unblemished record broken in the gold medal match, losing to QLD Maroon 0-3.  Their efforts throughout the week were outstanding and they still come home silver medallists. The Under 16 Boys Navy Team lost their final match to ACT, finishing the tournament in 8th place.

The Under 16 Girls Sky team finish in 6th place with a loss to SA to close their tournament.  The Navy team also went down in their final match against VIC White to finish 8th overall.

The Under 17 Boys Division was a history making one with the Navy team coming up with a win over WA to secure a bronze medal finish.  The Sky team lost their final match to VIC Blue to finish in 6th place at the end of the week.

Bringing home another bronze medal was the Under 17 Girls Sky team who won their final game against VIC Blue.  The Under 17 Girls Navy team closed out their week with a win over ACT.

The Under 18 Girls team had to settle for silver in their final match going down to a tough SA team 0-3. The girls can be extremely proud of their efforts in their final AYVC.  They created some wonderful moments and built some lasting friendships.  For many a highlight was their win over QLD Maroon in the semi-final.

The Under 18 Boys Navy team secured a final win over ACT to end their tournament in 7th place.  It was an early start for the Under 18 Boys Sky team who had an 8am semi-final against VIC Blue to cement their place in the gold medal match.  They did this successfully 2-0 and then set their sights on the final against long-time rival QLD Maroon.  It was an epic showdown going right to the 5th set.  After an initial celebration of a win the call was retracted, and the boys had to take the court once again to play for that final point.  It was fitting that NSW Phoenix Captain Jett Rocker-Graham was the one to secure that final point in epic fashion and we could all then celebrate for a second time as NSW claimed gold!

Overall, a fantastic week, some great results and experience gained.  The NSW Phoenix contingent celebrated with one last closing dinner before boarding the bus home to Sydney.

Special thanks to all our Coaches for supporting our athletes throughout the program and over the past week.  Special mention to our sponsors Valour, Helloworld Helensvale Plaza and Mikasa Sports Australia for enabling us to deliver this program.  Thank you to all the parents and families, we could not do this without your love and support for our athletes.  To our NSW Phoenix athletes, we are extremely proud of your efforts.  Medal or not we know how hard you all work to give your best performances on court.  We hope you enjoyed the program as much as we enjoyed delivering it.

Special mention must go to Head of Pathways, Martin Reader and Pathway program Co-ordinator Filip Zapala.  This is the last AYVC that Martin and Filip will be with VNSW, and we want to thank them for their incredible contribution to the development of this program and its athletes.

For now, it's bye to Bendigo until next year.........

Day Four – Finals Start

Today marked the wrap up of pool play and the start of finals.  Many of the Phoenix teams are right in the mix of things and in with a chance to secure one of the coveted medals up for grabs this week.

The Under 14 Boys had two more wins today over SA and VIC White securing second place in pool play and a chance to playoff against QLD Maroon in the gold medal match. 

The Under 14 Girls started their finals campaign with loss over SA.  They then got stuck in into their finals play with got an early morning win under their belts defeating VIC White 2-1.  They have one more game tomorrow to determine if they finish 5th, 6th or 7th. 

It was a tough loss first up for the Under 15 Boys with a tricky opponent in QLD Maroon.  They lost their second match of the day which sees them head into the bronze medal match against SA. The Under 15 Girls came back with two epic wins meaning they now move into the bronze medal match.

The Under 16 Boys Sky continued their form and finishing pool play 8-0. They have set the scene for a great showdown in the gold medal match. The Under 16 Boys Navy went down to QLD White and will play of for 7th and 8th position on Friday.

The Under 16 Girls teams went down in their last pool matches.  The Sky team unfortunately then went down in their first final game against VIC Blue and will play off for 5th and 6th on Friday. The Navy team will play their final match of the tournament in a playoff for 8th and 9th.

The Under 17 Boys Sky team started the day with a pool match against ACT which they won convincingly. They then took on the Under 17 Boys Navy team in their final match of pool play, which they won.  They headed into their first finals match against QLD White but went down 1-2. They will now play off for 5th-6th. After their loss to the Sky team the Navy boys secured a massive win over VIC Blue in their first final.  They are set to face QLD Maroon in the semis.

The Under 17 Girls Sky went down in their final pool game to WA but managed a win in their first finals match.  That means they are headed to a bronze medal final.  The Under 17 Girls Navy lost to ACT in their final pool match and now play off for 7th-8th.

The Under 18 Boys Sky finished up their pool play with a close 2-1 loss to QLD Maroon but won their final game against ACT.  They head into a semi-final on Friday morning against VIC Blue hoping they can get a win and make it to the gold medal match. The Under 18 Boys Navy went down in both of their final pool play games and now head into the 7th-8th place playoff.

The Under 18 Girls set to task to knock QLD Maroon out of the gold medal match and they were successful 2-1.  The girls will now take on SA in the final on Friday.

Friday is going to be a big day with medals up for grabs.  Let’s bring them home to NSW!!  If you are in Bendigo, make sure you check out the draw, bring your loudest voices and lots of airhorns to cheer on our NSW Phoenix.

Day Three

Hump day!  It’s been a big week so far for all our athletes and coaches, but they are digging deep and pushing to get those much-needed points.

The Under 14 Boys had a stella day notching up three wins including a huge 2-1 win over QLD Maroon. The Under 14 Girls got an early morning win under their belts defeating QLD White 2-1.  Unfortunately, they went down in the afternoon to VIC Blue 3-0

It was a tough start for the Under 15 Boys losing their morning match to VIC Blue 1-2.  However, they bounced back securing a win over VIC White later in the day. It wasn’t the best day for the Under 15 Girls suffering two losses. The teams are rallying around to pump the girls up in their early morning match and road to finals on Thursday.

The Under 16 Boys Sky remain unbeaten in the tournament after two excellent wins over WA and QLD Maroon.  Credit to the boys on their performance so far, 7-0 is epic! The Under 16 Boys Navy went down to SA in their first match but came back with a win over VIC White in the afternoon.

It was a busy day in the Under 16 Girls competition with both teams having three games.  The Sky team went down in their first two games against VIC Blue and QLD Maroon but managed to secure a win in their final game against VIC White. Despite their best efforts the U16 Girls Navy unfortunately lost all three games.

The Under 17 Boys Sky only had the one game for the day against VIC Blue and pumped up by the support of the crowd managed a convincing win. It was a jam-packed day for the Under 17 Boys Navy.  They started with an awesome win over SA 2-1. Unfortunately, they lost their second match against QLD White 1-2.  They closed out their day with a win against TAS 3-0.

The Under 17 Girls Sky opened their day with a win against SA 2-1.  In their second match of the day they were unfortunate to lose two players to injury/illness and went down to QLD White 1-2.  The Under 17 Girls lost to QLD White in the morning but turned it around and secured a 3-0 win over SA in the afternoon.

The Under 18 Boys Sky continued their winning streak with two more victories over VIC Blue and QLD White. The Under 18 Boys Navy won their first game against TAS Devils but went down to WA 1-2 in their second match of the day.

There was a great spirit of mateship in the first match of the day for the Under 18 Girls against TAS.  They had a big win but also built some great friendships with their opponents.  They followed it up with a critical win over WA 2-1.  Thanks to the Tassie girls who joined the NSW contingent to spur on the girls to victory.  They now head into the finals on Thursday needing a strong performance over QLD Maroon.

Thursday sees the start of finals play for some teams, while others wrap up their pool matches.  We are going to need all the support possible if we are hoping to take home some medals this week.  If you are in Bendigo make sure you check out the draw, bring your loudest voices and lots of airhorns to cheer on our NSW Phoenix in the final two days.

Day Two

It was another action-packed day at the 2023 AYVC in Bendigo. Despite their own busy match schedules, it was pleasing to see our athletes taking the time to support each other. The hype helped a few teams push through to secure vital wins.

The Under 14 Boys had a big day on the court securing wins against QLD White and VIC but unfortunately went down to SA in the last match of the day. The Under 14 Girls secured their first victory for the tournament with a 3-0 win against VIC.

It was another strong day for the Under 15 Boys securing two wins while the Under 15 Girls had a convincing win over VIC White but went down to SA in the afternoon.

The Under 16 Boys Sky kept their unbeaten run going with straight set wins over QLD White and teammates NSW U16 Navy. The Under 16 Boys Navy fought hard but unfortunately also went down in their other match of the day against VIC Blue.

In the Girls Under 16 competition there was another battle of NSW with the U16 Girls Sky taking the win over the U16 Navy. The U16 Girls Sky also notched up a second win for the day against ACT. It was a tough second match for the U16 Girls Navy, going down to QLD Maroon.

It was a mixed day for the Under 17 Boys Sky with a convincing win over TAS but going down to SA in the afternoon. The Under 17 Boys Navy had a quiet day with only the one match against WA which they locked in a win 2-1.

It was a busy day for the Under 17 Girls Sky with three matches on their schedule.  They faced a tough opponent in QLD Maroon first up and unfortunately went down to them 3-0.  They came back fighting in the next two games against ACT and TAS winning both 3-0. The Under 17 Girls also came up with a win against TAS but lost to VIC in the afternoon.

The Under 18 Boys Sky continued their campaign with three big wins over TAS, NSW Navy and TAS Devils. The Under 18 Boys Navy had a tough start with two early losses to VIC and NSW Sky but finished strong win over TAS in the evening.

The Under 18 Girls didn’t start their day well going down to SA in the first match.  However, they bounced back with a win over QLD White. Then, spurred on by the support of our NSW delegation, came up with a much-needed win 2-1 over VIC Blue to end the day.

A highlight for today was the amount of support our athletes gave each other.  That support boosted our athletes and helped them push that bit harder to secure some much-required points. We now head into the Wednesday matches and trying to get to finals.

See the results below:

Day One

Day one saw NSW Phoenix athletes play across 43 games at two venues: Red Energy Arena and Flora Hills Stadium.

While it was a tough day with only 10 matches finishing in our favour. Special mention must go to our Under 16 Boys Sky team and our Under 17 Girls who remain undefeated after the day 1.

See the results below:

Make sure you follow our NSW Phoenix Facebook and Instagram to keep up with all the action from the week.

For information about the tournament head here - 2023 Australian Youth Volleyball Championships - Venues - Sep 18-22, 2023 (exposureevents.com)

Travel Day and Opening Ceremony

Sunday saw our athletes, coaches and staff make their way to Bedigo, VIC for the 2023 Australian Youth Volleyball Championships.

Upon arrival our athletes took part in the Opening Ceremony followed by the  team photos before settling in for the night ahead of a busy week of volleyball.