Following a blockbuster opening round last weekend, the Scape Australian Volleyball Super League roars back into action on Saturday with six more matches across three states.

The men’s and women’s competition could break wide open with all round one victors looking to remain undefeated against opponents which lost their opening matches.

All matches will be streamed live on either SBS On Demand or Cluch TV.

NSW Phoenix v Adelaide Storm
Netball Central, Sydney Olympic Park NSW
6:00pm AEST / 5:30pm ACST (Women followed by Men)
SBS On Demand

NSW Phoenix women will be looking to make it two-from-two when they host Adelaide Storm at Sydney Olympic Park on Saturday.

The Phoenix were impressive on the road in Perth last week, taking down the Steel 4:1 to get their campaign off to a near-perfect start.

Mikaela Stevens was impressive as always but the Phoenix will have to do without the Volleyroos captain who is on national duty this week. Adelaide will also need to try and get the job done without Beth Carey who has returned to national duty for the first time since the 2020 Olympic qualifiers.

The Phoenix men will look to make life tough for a Storm side which showed their mettle last week to claim an impressive win.

The Storm’s 4:1 triumph over Melbourne was built on performance under pressure and good use of the powerplay, with every set decided by two points or less. Middle blocker Brendan Clewes outstanding game earned him selection in the round one Team of the Week.

Phoenix were dominated in the first set by Perth last week but only just lost the second and won the third to give them plenty of confidence going into their first home game of the season.

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Canberra Heat v Melbourne Vipers
Lyneham Hockey Centre ACT
5:00pm AEST (Women followed by Men)
Cluch TV

Canberra Heat women faced a Pirates side which was on top of their game in round one and will look to turn their form around when they host Melbourne Vipers on Saturday.

With a short season meaning every match and every set has extra meaning, the home side will be desperate to flip their 2022 results from Melbourne when the Vipers won both of their round five clashes.

Melbourne won their opening match 4:1 at home against Adelaide Storm last weekend, with libero Rochelle Sison-Lim a constant presence in the match. Based on point quotient, the Vipers sit in third and will be hoping to improve their position in Sydney.

Canberra Heat’s men will look to make it back-to-back victories after a 4:1 in Queensland in round one.

Volleyroos Trent O’Dea and Matt Aubrey played up to expectations and were instrumental in the dominant win, while captain Nic Borgeaud also led the way.

The Vipers 4:1 loss to Adelaide in round one was not an indication of how close their match was, with every set decided by just one or two points. Experienced international Paul Sanderson was particularly strong, earning selection in the Team of the Week.

The Vipers will not only need to swing their round one result, they are also coming off two round five losses to the Heat in 2022.

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Perth Steel v Queensland Pirates
Warwick Stadium, Perth WA
5:30pm AWST / 7:30pm AEST (Women followed by Men)
Cluch TV

Perth Steel’s women have one of the toughest tasks in the competition this week as they take on the Queensland Pirates at Warwick Stadium.

The Pirates scored the only 5:0 win in round one against Canberra Heat with Scarlet Rudder a dominant force at the net.

The Steel will be keen to draw on memories from round three last year when they travelled to the Gold Coast and didn’t drop a set in their two matches against the Pirates.

Perth Steel’s men’s team will look to make it two-from-two when they take on Queensland. The Steel took down NSW 4:1 last week at home while the Pirates will be hoping to get back that winning feeling against Perth.

Queensland took down the Steel in two close round three encounters last year, however Perth had the final say in a 3:1 victory in the 2022 bronze medal match.

This match will feature almost half of the players from the round one Team of the week with Queensland’s Jonah Pearce and the Steel’s Jose Martinez and Tom Heptinstall all earning selection.

Click here for Membership information. Tickets available at the door.

 

Story Courtesy of Volleyball Australia