SNV had 13 teams representing our club in SVL this year across almost every division! You can read the coaches’ perspectives on SVL 2019 below. Many thanks to the coaches for taking the time to write these season wrap ups and of course for their continued dedication all year long! Thank you also to our volunteer managers for helping to keep the teams organised, we appreciate your efforts.
Interested in being part of the action in 2020? Get involved now with Spring Training!
Tickets are available via the links below –
Mixed Juniors
Senior Men
Senior Women
Under 16s Women – Titans (coached by Su Garrett)
It has been a pleasure to coach the U16 Titans team this season. For most of the team this was their first season of club volleyball and they did a great job learning the fundamental physical skills of the game.
The most important focus of the season has been to introduce and develop the skills and attributes of being a good volleyball player, being a positive supportive team member, celebrating success and encouraging others after a loss and putting your head up and moving forward to the next point.
With many of the players being under 15 they competed well in the under 16 competition, developing each week and growing in skill and confidence. The team played a back court setter system with each player playing in all positions and the setter playing out of position 1. This has developed the players all round skills which will hold them in good stead for 2020.
A big thank you to Kathy for being a wonderful organised manager for us this season.
Our MVP was Eleni and Most Improved Jen.
Under 16s Women – Panthers (coached by Sheilah Adam)
Volleyball is growing. I am very proud of my U16 Panthers this year. With most of them being beginner athletes and four of them making it through to the Volleyball New South Wales squad. Being third place all the way and just missing out on the Bronze medal is a great achievement. I’ve witnessed big improvement in all of them, not only as skilled players but as amazing individuals with such beautiful manners and awesome sportsmanship. They are all winners in my eyes.
I would like to thank our club organisers/admin/board members, especially Nerradene, for all the support she’s been giving the members, her hard work flows to all the coaches and athletes and it makes a huge difference in making SNV a successful club.
To all the coaches, well done to you all for all the passion and dedication. Special thank you to Richard, Takae, Su, David, Jun, Ian, Jayden, Amy and Kaylah for all your assistance during my absence. To our Team Manager Rodney, thanks for your organization.
I am looking forward to another season next year! All the best everyone and see you all soon!
Congratulations to Genevieve Brookes for being our Most Improved Player and Yumi Cailloce for being our Most Valuable Player and All Star 7.
Under 16s Men – Blockers (coached by Taka Yusatake, Assisted by Dave Cottam)
We had a very difficult season as we started with a shortage of players so to come together in 5 months and become a team was very challenging. We started with 5 players at beginning of season but luckily each week we got players who have never played volleyball or have only played at school and we finally ended up with 13 players (8 out of 13 players were beginners) and made a team.
We had great athletes and they all learned and got a lot better when comparing the beginning of the season to now; l have seen immense growth in the team and its players. Although the challenge for me is to manage the players who haven’t played before in a short amount of time and to teach them the amazing ways of volleyball, it was an fun experience. Unfortunately we couldn’t make the semifinal but the boys did a great fight each game and I am glad to see everyone came together as team, tried hard, called the ball and was cheering each other. Great job!
I would like to say that I congratulate all athletes for your efforts and thank the countless individuals who made sacrifices to ensure our sport enjoys success!
Also l would like to thank SNV, the team manager and parents for their wonderful support of the team throughout the season and coach David Cottam who voluntarily contributes to support our boys.
Again thank you very much all of you. Hopefully our players will be able to be together again and celebrate a wonderful season in 2020.
Special mention to MVP Will Cottam who led as team captain and MIP Jack Harris, without whose precision setting the attacks couldn’t have happened.
Under 17s Women – Sirens (coached by Carolyn Reed & Lora Thorand)
The 2019 season saw a new Under 17s women’s team come together to form the Sirens. With a mix of skills and experience, the girls bonded quickly and formed a cohesive team to set the standard for SVL.
As the year progressed, the girls showed an enthusiasm for not only developing their skills, but also understanding the strategy of the game. This was demonstrated in all of their games, with many hard-fought wins as the season progressed. The huge improvements in their abilities, strategic thinking and, most importantly, their confidence has been amazing to witness.
While the Sirens narrowly missed out on Bronze this year, we are so proud of these girls and the hard work they have put in. We can’t wait to see what next year will bring for them. 1-2-3 Sirens WHOOP!!!
Special mention to MVP Isabella Salameh and MIP – Holly Field
Under 17’s Women – Flames (coached by Maddie Dimech)
Twelve beautiful girls radiating energy and enthusiasm became the embers of a team at the start of the season. As we warmed to each other, our strengths began to shine through and sparks began to fly.
Carman and Jessie’s great passing saw them blazing in the back line. Maureen and Mia formed the kindling of our fire, picking up every second ball to set our attack. We could always count on Tanan to burst into action, and incinerate the other team with one of her hot hits. In the front line, Nicole and Chanelle spread themselves in universal, but especially the versatile Elysia, a fireball for the team playing every position this season! We relied on Uchral and her strong serve to open fire against the other team and of course our defenders Sarah, Jem and Meg smoking up the net.
Individually, they were strong but their teamwork was dynamite ~ that’s lit.
Most Improved Player – Sarah Kennedy
Most Valuable Player – Maureen Reobaldo
Under 17’s Men (coached by Will Maniti)
What an experience it was as a first time junior coach. The eagerness and enthusiasm the boys showed at every training session and game was 2nd to none. Although it wasn’t our season this year you can’t say that the boys didn’t give it 100% every game.
Week by week we would improve as a team but weren’t able to close out some crucial points to win the set and game. Considering the team had 6 players under 15, more than half the team, the future looks bright for SNV for the coming years.
I hope they have learnt a lot from me, as much as I’ve learnt from and about them.
Jamie, Haywood, Ali, Jayden, Nick, Ben, Daniel, Paul (the mascot lol) Jin, Ethan and Harley: Thank you for your commitment to the U17s team this year!!!
Special mention to Daniel Gauci and Dave Cottam for helping out with the boys when I couldn’t make it, appreciate it guys!!
Special mention to MVP – Jamie Park and Most Improved – Daniel Wang
Under 19s Women – Sharks (coached by Kylie Downes & Kristen Wood)
Another good year with this great bunch of ladies. A really committed team who consistently turned up to training and games, sometimes interspersed with nice birthday cakes cooked by Amy. Over the season the girls each developed and improved in their own volleyball skills and grew more confident working together as a team including playing an attacking brand of volleyball as much as possible.
We got silver in a tough fought final where the girls not only demonstrated their volleyball skills and team work but their determination never to give up and keep fighting till the end. Although coming second was disappointing to the girls, they should be proud of what they achieved this year, not only in getting the silver medal but their attitude to volleyball and each other while they did it. Bring on next year.
Thanks to Clare McMahon who came into the team late when we needed an extra player and fitted in perfectly. Special mention to Tatiana Seruvatu our MIP and Emily Ji our MVP. Also to Siena Lucas and Amy Wolken who made the All Star 7.
Finally a special mention to Kristen who brought a future SNV volleyball player into the world. Unfortunately he won’t be a Shark, but I’m sure he already has a good understanding of volleyball as he has been sitting on the bench all season listening prior to his arrival!
Under 19s Men (coached by Jon Luo)
The 2019 season of SVL saw major changes in the U19s team with a new and fresh squad of players, including several from the 2018 U17s SNV team. The roster was comprised of sound players, expecting a journey to the playoffs without many hiccups. However, the season ahead would prove to be a roller-coaster ride for everyone.
Although the pre-season training sessions assisted in smoothing out the rough edges around the team, the team experienced a slow start to the season as the team dropped sets unexpectedly throughout each match, some ultimately resulting in matches slipping out of our hands. As the season progressed, the team gradually adjusted to the new environment and eventually pulled through, moving onto the playoffs as the third seed.
With the hard-fought round robin stage behind us, we set our sights on the semi-finals against USYD. The boys fought with desperation, firing up all cylinders and expelling high levels of energy. Unfortunately, the team eventually exhausted themselves as the match approached its finale and were relegated to the bronze medal match despite their amazing efforts.
The team confidently secured their victory in the bronze medal match, defeating UTS with a set score of 3-1. Although the season saw multiple highs and lows of the team, the players accumulated their experiences and concluded their journey with hard-earned success.
Special thanks to Dan for assisting me in coaching the U19s team and overseeing their growth over this season. Congratulations to the players of the U19s SNV team of 2019 and thanks to everyone for a wonderful season of volleyball. I look forward to seeing all of you once again on the courts next year.
Special mention to MVP – Thomas Han and Most Improved – Gerry Lu
Division 2 Men (coached by Abu, season wrap to come)
Special mention to MVP – Andrew Xiang and Players’ Player – Tony Yu
Division 1 Women – Foxes (coached by Richard Wolken)
Just to start off, I love what I do, and really get a thrill out of coaching and seeing the improvement in people and the team as a whole. Doesn’t matter win or lose sometimes, so long as we improve and have fun.
It was great to see the return of most of last year’s team to the club, and sweet to see 4 of them promoted up to honours this season. So we had a few new members join and be embraced into the SNV family. The team bonded early, entering nearly every State Cup pre-season, and had heaps of fun, while getting to know one another and how to work together as a team.
SVL itself was a few early wins and losses, then a few personnel changes due to holidays, injuries etc, and the tail end was a bit of a dry spell. We made a good change late in the year, switching Kristy and Aida around between Libero and Setter, which I think worked well.
Many good candidates for MVP, with everyone contributing throughout the season, but the award goes to our always rock solid “sea-wall” Maryna. Players Player award goes to Maddie.
Looking forward to you all returning next year and give it another crack!
Division 1 Men (coached by Trish Miller)
After expecting to coach Div2 women, it was quite a turn of events when I was asked to coach this team. I’m sure I wasn’t the coach those trailing for this team were expecting as coach either. So, the season was off to an intriguing start.
With such a range of ages in the team it was always going to be a challenge for each of us to find our equilibrium. 2 of our players pulled out a few weeks after training commenced, due to work & family commitments, which was a slight disruption to the team & 2 new players for me to get to know.
The team started with a win, though to a struggling Illawarra side, which was good in a way but may have given us a false sense of where we stood as a team. Had a few losses, then a few wins. The wins were enough to get us into the final’s series. Which was a feat in itself, as throughout the season players missed games due to illness, national team commitments & various other reasons. This was not helpful in getting the team to gel and a challenge for me with getting the line up right.
Leading into to the semi-finals, we had 2 season ending injuries. Then 2 players unable to play due to other commitments. We were down to 6 Div 1 players on the semi-final Sunday, going down to the eventual silver medalists. Unfortunately, we lost in the bronze play off 3-1. This game taught me much.
I was fortunate to have players with great team spirit, shown when they had to step into positions they were not entirely comfortable in or, when injured, helped me by taking stats &/or acting as assistant coach. It was a steep learning curve for me & I’ve learnt a lot. There were moments of shear frustration, but overall, it was an enjoyable season with this team.
My 1st season as an SVL coach was a wonderful learning experience, so thank you for giving me the opportunity to learn.
Special mention to MVP – Ben Jordan and Players’ Player – Matt Rennie
Honours Women – Squirrels (coached by Scott Nichols)
Another year of volleyball over and another step in the right direction for our women’s honours team. We managed to get the bronze medal for the first time which is our best result so far. The start of the year was promising but during the middle of the season we struggled with getting our best team on the court. Thankfully, a fantastic late rally in the back part of the season salvaged our year. Thanks to everyone who had to play different positions in different rotations due to availability. I know this is really challenging and sometimes not what you may want to do. But you all put your heads down and tried your best.
To build a great team takes everyone to buy in, train hard and commit! Hopefully we can get everyone back next year and take another step forward.
Special mention to MVP – Kate Masters and Players’ Player – Tomoka Matsuyama and All Star 7 – Hannah Trenowden
Honours Men (Coached by Ian Garrett)
What a season of firsts for the 2019 Mens honours team.
First year that the honours men have made the finals series.
First year that the mens honours have medaled at SVL.
and the first time the honours men have had a win over UTS in the mens honours division.
This was all due to a great team that played patient, confident volleyball through out with a group of players that made the coaches job to select a starting six each game very difficult.
Every player made a difference when ever they stepped on the court from our experienced players, Dan, who made a comeback after a few year break and our Sri Lankan sensation, Rumesh (Disa) who showed every week that he was the outstanding middle in the tournament, all the way through to Keifer who sat on the bench nearly every week but when Justin and Fraser were both away stepped up to be our starting setter for two games.
It’s difficult to look back and see that we were just two points away from making the gold medal match, after our 5 set loss in the semi, but we are all extremely happy to have made it to that position this year knowing that we gave it everything and look forward to even bigger things next year.
Special mention to MVP, Players’ Players and All Star 7 – Rumesh