UWA Volleyball Club defeat Reds Volleyball Club in inaugural WA Volleyball League regional round men’s clash

A clinical UWA Volleyball Club held off a determined Reds Volleyball Club, featuring Albany talent, securing a straight sets men’s victory in the WA Volleyball League’s inaugural regional round. Dubbed the Great Southern Volley Mania, a packed crowd flocked to Albany Leisure and Aquatic Centre on Saturday evening as a polished UWA powered to a 25-19, 25-23, 25-23 victory, shortening the gap to ladder-toppers the Chequers. UWA were supremely resilient on defence led by Australian-capped libero Lewis McDonald while producing pulsating offence spearheaded by star hitter Matthew Pallot. They took the first set with ease 25-19, before an enthralling second set went down to the wire after Albany-raised Ryan Slater, fresh off a Volleyroo call-up, was injected into the game. The gun setter delivered the ball on a silver platter for hitters Connor McNab and Rielly Vincent, also from Albany, but UWA remained too strong clinching the second set 25-23. UWA flexed their muscles in the last and led by as much as six points before the Reds sparked a late comeback to reduce the margin to the barest margin. But a rare ace from the hand of UWA’s Declan Walsh sealed the straight-sets victory against the bottom-placed Reds. The men’s fixture followed was the women’s state league match where Reds clawed back form one set down to win 3-1, 13-25, 25-15, 25-22, 25-18. The Reds and Volleyball WA conducted coaching clinics at Great Southern Grammar throughout the weekend for the Albany and Denmark clubs, running hitting, passing and defence-focused sessions. Albany-raised coaches Max Wason and Lachlan Butler were also part of the Reds set-up alongside Slater and Vincent.