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WUC Beach Volleyball - blog
Monday, July 7th, 2008
The insiders guide to the recently completed World Uni Beach Volleyball Champs held in Hamburg. This blog has been written by the coach Warren Smith.
From: Smith, Warren. Sent: Wednesday, 2 July 2008 9:55 a.m.
Subject: FW: Beach Volleyball World Uni Beach Champs
Hi,
Arrived in Hamburg today. We have just spent the last week in Berlin training at the Olympic Training Centre there in preparation for the event. The time in Berlin was excellent as we were invited to train with the Brandenburg state team and coach which was excellent for all involved.
Tomorrow we begin in earnest and the girls Blundell/Scarlett are seeded in a group of 4 with USA 1, Japan 2 and Canada 2. First game is at 12:15 and the second at 5pm. Scarlett/Griffiths are seeded with Germany 2, Austria 1 and Hong Kong. First game is vs. Hong Kong at 11 and Germany 2 at 4pm.
Everyone very excited and looking forward to getting stuck in.
Regards
Warren
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From: Smith, Warren. Sent: Thursday, 3 July 2008 8:49 p.m.
2nd July (Day 1)
Today was our first competition day. Both teams very excited to be competing. Hamburg has really put on the weather for us with a hot and slightly windy 32 degree day. I kept the girls in the relatively cooler confines of the hotel as long as possible before taking them to their respective games. With two women’s team competing the day began with Shannen Bagge and Hayley Griffith (NZL2) coming up against Hong Kong at 11am. The girls lost the toss and were promptly sent to the side of the court with the least wind advantage. This then saw them very quickly 6-2 down. From then on however the girls found their form somewhat and played a relatively controlled game. However, they were unable to reduce the original deficit and lost the 1st set 21-15.
The second set saw the girls out of the blocks well and as the set progressed they were able to stay with the Hong Kong team however, as the set drew to its completion the Kiwis were unable to add another gear and eventually lost a hard fought set 21-18. So overall a positive start for the young team. As coach I had to congratulate them on both coming to a world champs with all the pressure that accompanies such an event and play their best volleyball. It will continue to be a hard road going forward.
The second game of the day was Blundell/Scarlett against USA1. Obviously a tough opponent but as everyone is an unknown quantity both players were positive of performing well against a traditionally strong beach volleyball country. Again the kiwis lost the toss and ended up on the ‘bad’ side of the court. And as in the first match the girls were promptly 5-1 down. However, once the girls got into a working rhythm they began to work out the Americans. Going into the end phase of the first set saw the kiwis with a set point at 20-19 which they were unable to convert. Unfortunately they went on to lose that set 23-21.
The second set was very similar except the Americans took a two point advantage into the last phase of the set and were able to hold on for the win (21-18). So, not the start we were looking for but against one of the top teams a solid result to start the tournament. Both girls looking forward to their afternoon game against the Canadians.
Game 3 for us was Shannen and Hayley against the 2nd place team from the 2006 World Champs. Obviously this team would be a whole new level of volleyball. We discussed the goals for the game and made sure that we were looking to create as much pressure against a real world class team. As expected this turned out to be a very tough game for the Kiwis (even though the haka was played twice by the DJ). The Germans simply overpowered the NZers and won the first set 21-9. The second set was unfortunately similar from result (21-11) but most positively from intensity the Kiwi girls didn’t let themselves become intimidated but continued to work within themselves to create as much pressure as possible.
So, unfortunately the day for NZL2 wasn’t successful from a result point of view, but for a young team to take some valuable learning experiences out of the day made the effort very worthwhile.
Game 4 was Blundell/Scarlett playing against Canada 2. Although not a favoured team in the tournament they played well against their Japanese opponents and thus deserved respect going into the encounter. However, the Canadians weren’t able to find the same form from the morning with Susan and Anna completely dominating their opponent from the outset and taking a deserved win 21-11 and 21-13. Both girls obviously pleased to get the first win under their belts.
Tomorrow will see the last round robin games for the qualifying part of the event. Whereas Shannen and Hayley are basically unable to reach the top group because of their two losses Susan and Anna must beat the Japanese today to advance. An exciting and obviously nervous time ahead for all concerned.
Will report back once the day is over.
Kind regards to all
Warren Smith
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3rd July (Day 2)
Sitting here in a very hot hostel room after another very humid day I am able to reflect on a very mixed day for our team. Firstly, its been another hard day at the office for Shannen Bagge and Hayley Griffith. And secondly, its been a historic day for New Zealand Beach Volleyball in that a NZ women’s team has finally beaten a team from Brazil in international competition. Brazil along with the USA are the two most successful countries in the history of the sport. To finally ‘knock the b**tard off’ was a fantastic accomplishment.
The day began relatively late with the first women’s games being played at 12:15. Shannen and Hayley needed to complete their pool section and came up against a competent opponent in the Austrian team. Although both girls tried to stick with their opponents they were again caught short against a team determined to finish top of their pool. Therefore, points were very important and the Austrians maintained pressure right throughout. Again the girls worked hard and every now and then played some great rallies but with what seemed very little reward. The final score was 21-7 and 21-10 to the Austrians.
Game 2 saw Susan Blundell and Anna Scarlett also looking to beat a determined Japanese team. This game was of real significance to the rankings as whoever won the game would definitely finish second in their pool. After the game there was a little bit of excitement as the Canadians from the day before beat the top American team and there seemed to be a chance that we may have finished the pool as top qualifier. This unfortunately didn’t eventuate as the Americans won one set more than we did. Anyway, playing the Japanese was always going to be a tough assignment due to the excellent ball skills their athletes possess. Initially the Japanese were able to take advantage of some poor passing from the Kiwis and in fact had set point at 20-18. However, two clutch blocks from Susan Blundell and a well read defence by Anna Scarlett saw New Zealand win four points in a row to take out the first set. The second set was much of the same but the NZers seemed to find their rhythm much easier and took out the set 21-17 and with it guaranteed 2nd place in their pool.
Game 3 saw Hayley and Shannen starting the second phase of the tournament with a relatively low ranking due to their last place in their pool in the qualification phase. This meant that they were to come up against one of the 1st place pool finishers from the previous round. This ended up being the Czech No. 1 team. As noted before this was to be another hard day at the office for the girls. Again, as coach I was impressed with the heart and determination with which the girls played their game but again there seemed to be little reward for their efforts. The game eventually went to the Czechs 21-9 and 21-13. Shannen and Hayley will now have to play through the losers bracket of the competition which may see them only playing one more game.
There is no doubt that both players have made real strides in their understanding of the competitive level in which they are working. Again I have to commend their efforts under very trying circumstances as they continue to work hard to do their best. The reality is of course that there is much work to be done. But my general feeling is that by coming to this event they now know what that work is!
Game 4 saw Susan and Anna drawing the top Brazilian women’s team at the tournament in the first round. the best way to describe this game is that firstly any time you play Brazilians you simply must respect their ability. Because the Brazilians were a shorter opponent the strategy was to ensure that the game was played very tight on the net where the NZ girls could use their height advantage. The tactic certainly paid off as the Brazilians with their excellent athleticism and court awareness just were unable to play their natural game with the girls constantly hitting over and around their opponents. All in all the focus and determination of the Kiwis never let the Brazilians find their game and Anna and Susan came away comfortable winners at 21-16 and 21-14. And of course another notch on New Zealand’s international belt.
Because of the way the draw was done tomorrow will see Susan and Anna take on the American team they lost to on day 1. They are looking forward to the encounter and the chance for some revenge. Tomorrow is forecast to be rainy and cooler which we are all looking forward to in some ways. We are also expecting some extra kiwi support with people flying over from London to support our teams. We look forward to their cheering and support.
More tomorrow.
Warren Smith
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4th July (Day 3)
Today was to be the day of reckoning for the New Zealand teams. Shannen Bagge and Hayley Griffith were one game away from being eliminated whereas Susan Blundell and Anna Scarlett were one game away from making a bit of NZ Beach Volleyball history.
Game One for the day saw Shannen and Hayley coming up against Japan 2 to stay alive in the tournament. Unfortunately, the weather as predicted was utterly miserable for all competitors which made any kind of enjoyment to be playing outside basically zero! Luckily the girls took it in their stride to make the most of the opportunity and ‘had a crack’ at the Japanese. Whereas the first set certainly didn’t go to plan with the girls losing 21-7 they fought back strongly in the second to really test the Japanese. At 14-15 the Kiwis looked like they were heading into a battle toward the end of the set but some errors saw the girls unable to keep up with their opponent. So with the 2nd set having been lost 21-15 that was the end of the road for the young team. All credit for the work ethic and willingness to maximise their experiences whilst attending the World Champs. The team now takes a week off before heading to France to compete at the World Series event in Marseille.
Game Two was the revenge match up against the American No. 1 team who Susan and Anna had lost to in the first game of the tournament. This was also the match to take the girls to the highest position of a New Zealand Women’s team at any type of Volleyball World Championship. Although there is added pressure when trying to create history the girls prepared themselves well and felt confident that they were going to be able to beat the tough Americans. After a strong start by the Kiwis things started to falter with the Americans changing their tactics to account for the height disadvantage of one of their players. The kiwis were unable to adjust quickly enough to be competitive in the set and eventually lost 21-14. The second set was to be a different story with the Kiwis finding some good rhythm and creating good pressure on the weaker American player. They were able to gain a slight advantage and went on to win the set 21-18. The third set would turn out to be an absolute thriller with both teams playing some fantastic volleyball in very trying conditions. With constant rain every mistake was punished and at one stage the Americans whose work rate on the court was lower than the kiwis seemed to somehow win lucky points. At 14-13 and the first match ball to the Kiwis saw the beginning of the tensest 15 minutes of the tournament with both teams trading the lead and having the chance to close out the match. With NZ regaining the lead at 19-18 it looked possible that we were heading for the win. The Americans were however not finished and fought a couple of points before the best player had what can only be described as a brain explosion which literally gave an easy ball to the Kiwis which they converted to take the win. So there we have it, pure elation at achieving a top 10 placing at this stage. Again the best result ever for kiwi women on the world stage!!
Game 3 then saw the kiwis working their way toward a fifth place finish. Their opponents from the Czech Republic were in some ways an unknown quantity but with a strong reputation proceeding them. They are the current Silver Medallists from the last U23 European Championships and were to be our toughest opponent to date. This proved to be correct as they were able to clinically deal with any mistakes by the kiwi girls. Its always great to see a team that is so well drilled that as a player you simply cant afford to make mistakes against them. By this stage of the day the rain remained persistent and the balls became very heavy for the players to create any pressure with them. Inevitably this was to be our undoing as our reliance on creating pressure on serve and sideout in particular was nullified with the heavier ball. Therefore, the team with the best control were able to take their opportunities and the Czechs deservedly won a very tight contest 23-21 and 21-19.
Game 4 and Susan and Anna’s first game in the loser bracket. This meant there was only one chance left to stay in the tournament. Coming up against a physically shorter opponent in Japan 1 the tactic was again to get the ball on the net and use the height advantage of the kiwi athletes. The game started very much according to plan with the first set won easily 21-15. The second set saw a complete momentum swing toward the Japanese with their ability to identify weaknesses in the Kiwis sideout game and then maximising their opportunities. The second set went to the Japanese 21-18 which set up a 3rd and deciding set. After a great start by the kiwis the Japanese clawed their way back and eventually took over the lead in the set at 9-8 and never looked back eventually winning the set 15-11 and thus ending the Kiwi girls’ hopes of progressing in the tournament.
So, all in all a tournament that ended more with a fizzle than a bang which we are all rightly disappointed about. But that of course is competitive sport where everyone deserves to win since everyone works hard to make winning a reality. In our team debrief after the games the girls were relatively philosophical about their tournament with a feeling that they could have done better but that significant progress had been made. Of particular importance were the win against the top Brazilians who by the way are still alive in the tournament, beating the Americans and also getting that Top 10 finish.
As the coach of this group I am yet again thankful that the athletes who chose to represent New Zealand did so with a real feeling of responsibility and pride in wearing the National colours. We may not always win on the world stage but as a group we have continued a valuable tradition of making new friends and gaining the respect of our competitors as fair and honest sportspeople.
My thanks go to all those who have supported this campaign. In particular USNZ in assisting with the vast majority of the logistics that made for an easy operational environment. To VNZ for filling the gaps where necessary during a critical phase of preparation. And finally thank you to Ian Warrington (Acting VC from Massey University) and the staff of the Department of Management for the continued support of our athletes throughout this campaign.
Now all I want to do is sleep!
Regards
Warren Smith
