Good luck to the Volleyroos who take on Italy at Adelaide Arena tonight and tomorrow night!!!

This is the first time in Australian volleyball history, that the A-division of the men’s Volleyball World League will be played in this country.

VWA were lucky enough to talk to our very own champion, Luke Perry, earlier today about how the team is feeling heading into tonight’s match and his preparation for the 2016 Olympics in Rio:


How was your club season?

My club season was an awesome experience, played up north in Finland (Rovaniemi) and was lucky enough to play with fellow Australian Arash Dosanjh from Sydney.



What are your thoughts on playing against Italy tonight?



Playing in Group A of World League and against Italy tonight will be tough. A good challenge for us but we will go into every match confident as underdogs with nothing to lose.

How has it been working with your new coach Roberto Santilli?

Our new coach is great. He has a lot of knowledge about the game and has coached some of the best teams in the world. Him along with Ben Hardy (assistant) are almost perfect for the team.

How does this year compare in comparison to last year? Last year was the Volleyroos first in World League for 15 years and this year competing in Group 1.

This year is different in some aspects. We are in group A and against 3 of the top 8 teams in the world. Now with the experience of last year, we know what to expect and even though it will be against much harder opponents we believe we can win games, especially at home.

What else does the team have to look forward to over the next 16 months on The Road to Rio?

The Road to Rio has started for us. World League is perfect preparation for the Olympic Qualification Process, which happens later this year and at the start of 2016. In July we play the Asian Championships which is the first step to qualify – We need to finish top 4 in this tournament to qualify for the Olympic Qualification Tournament held in Japan, May 2016. After the Asian Championships we have the World Cup in September. This consists of pretty much the top 12 teams in the world with the top 2 teams getting a ticket to Rio.

Live Stream for the Matches Against Italy: http://www.ozsportsonline.com/?p=1103

FIVB World League Home Page: http://worldleague.2015.fivb.com

Volleyroos Home Page: http://volleyballaustralia.org/index.php/indoor/men-volleyroos

Volleyroos World League Page: http://worldleague.2015.fivb.com/en/intercontinental-group1/competition/teams/aus-australia

Luke’s World League Profile: http://worldleague.2015.fivb.com/en/intercontinental-group1/competition/teams/aus-australia/players/luke-perry?id=42559

**Photo credit to FIVB