End of another season...

Guildford Men's 2 finished another season in the NVL with two final matches.

The first match against unbeaten Plymouth Activate saw them lose 3-0 although it was a much closer match than their previous encounter.

The final match of the season was against Reading Aces 2 (aka Chiltern Aces) which they won 3-1 with some good performances from all of the team.

These results allowed Guildford to leapfrog Reading in the table and take 6th place in the league. Final stats were Played 16, won 7, lost 9.

For next season the future of the team looks uncertain. A number of current players are retiring from National League which could leave the team with not enough players for next season. If you are interested in playing National League volleyball for Guildford next season please get in touch using the contact link at the top of the page.

Full match reports to follow.

posted by GIVC on 14.4.08

Guildford collapse to Plymouth...

The 2nd game of the day against Plymouth proved somewhat of a damp squib. The excitement of the previous match took a lot out of us and playing a team who are so far unbeaten in the league was a tall order. Needless to say it was over almost before it had begun and although we improved our score in each set, it was down to them getting weaker rather than us playing better.

Plymouth should win the league undefeated (although Solent took them to 5 sets) and we wish them good luck in their efforts next season.

Unfortunately the last fixture of the season on 13th April sees Guildford face Plymouth again along with Chiltern over whom Guildford need a win to gain places in the league table.

Guildford International v Plymouth
11-25 17-25 20-25

posted by GIVC on 2.4.08

Guildford get second win over Solent...

Guildford 2 travelled to Southampton to take on Team Solent (who we previously beat 3-0). An early start and an hours less sleep are not the best combination to begin your Sunday morning, but seven (warm'ish) bodies arrived in Southampton to take on. We began the first set quite relaxed. Our setter was receiving awesome service from the receivers and the hitters were doing the damage offensively. The score rose evenly and at nine all, a run of 5 consecutive service points from Mr Stock pushed Guildford into a lead that they never relinquished. At 20-13 we were coasting along looking to close out the set, when our player-coach Harvey, managed to pull a ham-string (no-one knows how?). He was ably replaced by Tony - who was on bench warming duties and we were able to put the 1st set to bed 25-19.

Coach Harvey made a tactical decision to swap the outside hitters in the line-up and the set played out slightly different from the previous one but without any drama queens limping around! This time at nine all, it was Solent who produced a run of 6 consecutive serves which put Guildford under the cosh. A time-out (at 9-14) calmed the troops which ended Solent’s serving run (nice time-out coach!). Guildford hung on and it was Christophe's turn to inject a run of 5 serves to bring the score level at 20 all. Guildford maintained their momentum and closed the set out at 25-22.

The teams were closely matched, but Guildford had a stronger attack which made all the difference and at two sets to nil up, we were close to securing another win. The 3rd set was much closer and there was never more than 2 points separating the teams. Hitting errors began to creep into the team and it was these mistakes that were to gift the 3rd set to Solent.

The 4th set was over all too quickly. Solent's tails were up and some strong serving by them and confusion in Guildford's serve receive line-up quickly saw Solent shoot into a 6-12 lead. The pressure was on and a run of 8 consecutive points from Solent's number 18 sent Solent into a twelve point lead at 8-20. It was too much of a mountain to climb and Solent took the set 17-25

Guildford always like to provide good value for money and if you're going to travel long distances to play a match whilst losing an hours sleep you might as well play as many sets as possible right? A deciding fifth set was required to decide the winner and so far this season Guildford had lost both of their previous games that went to 5 sets - Not a good omen? Guildford had the stronger hitters, but they were making more mistakes and gifting more points to the opposition than they were producing for Guildford and Solent were going into the last set with more momentum having just crushed Guildford in the previous set. It wasn't looking good for the Surrey side. The first few points of the set were evenly matched, but by the turn-around Solent were 5-8 ahead and after they added another point, Guildford were looking down the barrel of a gun. Our injured player coach, Harvey took a dramatic decision and hauled himself out of his sick bench and dragged himself on court. The next serve was passed beautifully to our setter who then invited Harvey to spank the ball into the opposition's court by throwing a perfect set out to four. Harvey didn't disappoint and leapt majestically like a gazelle and slammed the ball into the floor of the opposition's court with barely a grimace on his face. My hero!
Solent were now 6-9 ahead. Was there a comeback in the air? Our serve receive was improving with each rally and our hitters were making fewer mistakes but Solent were having more success with their attacks and at 7-13 down, Guildford were virtually out on their feet, there was little chance of coming back from that...
Unless the next person to serve could pull out something special we were done for. Up steps Mr Stock to serve (no pressure)! A tough serve that Solent fail to give to their setter and the ball is spiked into the net 8-13. The next serve is shanked out of court 9-13. Solent put up an attack which is collected by Guildford's defence - Darren is presented with a perfect set to four and hits the floor with it 10-13. Another deep serve from Mr Stock and Solent are struggling to put up a decent attack. An easy ball over ends with a reverse set to Guildfords Polish Utility hitter Maciek who buries the ball in the Solent court 11-13. The tension shows in Solent's players as another serve puts them under even more pressure. Solent attack the ball through four only to see it smash into a freshly erected French and Polish built wall. 12-13 and Solent call a time out. This is what dreams are made of. Always serve in, following any interruption right? Mr Stock complies and sends over his 5th serve which is collected and sent back. After several exchanges, Guildford finally win the point from a spike. 13-13. (Nice Time-out Coach)! Another tough serve and Solent attack back. Several exchanges occur before our Polish specialist blocks an attack to give Guildford match point at 14-13. Come ON! A 7th consecutive serve from Mr Stock puts Solent in lots of trouble as they weakly send the ball back over the net which is swiftly set out to four for Darren to finish them off. A rush of blood, a flash of light and the ball is smashed into the net DOH! 14-14. Solent serve next and after a long rally take the rally to give them Match Point 14-15.

Guildford are fired up and haven't clawed their way back from 7-13 down to throw it away now. Solent serve for the match and another perfect pass from Colin Elwood lands on the setters head. Maciek converts the point to level the scores at 15-15. Darren serves next and both teams are now scrambling for every point a huge rally ensues and is finally won by a successful attack from our (allegedly) injured coach. 16-15. Darren now serves for the match which produces the longest rally of the game. The back court are scrambling around picking up everything Solent can throw at them and after several exchanges, Solent spank the ball in the net giving Guildford a well deserved victory and their first 5 set win of the season.

Well done Boys!

SGTV Solent v Guildford International 2
19-25 22-25 25-23 25-17 15-17

posted by GIVC on 2.4.08

Guildford Push Bristol and Bridgend...

4th placed Guildford, trouped down the M4 to do battle against the two teams immediately above them in the table.

The first match against Bristol was a tense affair. Both team squads had the minimum number of players and we were blooding our latest recruit - the freshly imported Maciej Michalak.

A tense 1st set climaxed in Guildford taking a 23-22 lead. However a service error gave the initiative to Bristol who pinched the set 25-23. The 2nd set also went to Bristol and so for the 3rd set, Harvey (our brave and valiant coach) took an executive decision and switched our line up, bringing MVP Darren (Hit-man) Heath into the Opposite position.

Hoorah! It worked, and although it was another tight set, Guildford were able to take the 3rd set 25-23.

Our tails were up and we were still savouring the taste of victory before we realised that the 4th set had not only begun, but we were 7 points to 1 down!!! The pressure was on, which resulted in an increase in our service errors, increasing the score difference and putting even more pressure on us. It was all too much and Bristol took the set to win the match 3 sets to 1.

Bridgend were next and the decision was taken to move our Polish prima-donna to the Opposite position in order to bring him more into the attack. Although the first 2 sets were close, it was Bridgend who took them and so the 3rd set was a must win for us.

Harvey, Galvanised the troops and we were able to get a hand on the Bridgend attackers. Our strong blocking and agile covering (poetic licence) allowed us to thwart many of their attacks. The score was incredibly close, the teams were never more than 2 points apart and some strong blocking and fierce hitting from MVP Maciej saw Guildford take the 3rd set 25-23.

The last set took a lot out of us, both physically and mentally and without any substitutes, we were unable to rest any players allowing Bridgend to take the 4th set comfortably, winning the match 3-1.

And who knows? With a few more players, the result could have been very different, but with the addition of our Polish International and 6 weeks of team training ahead of us, the future looks bright for Guildford 2.

Some more good news... that same evening Guildford Flames beat local rivals Slough 6-2 in the battle at the top of the Ice Hockey League. "Go Flames Go"

posted by GIVC on 19.2.08

Playoff hopes left in Bristol...

Guildford Men 2 started the day fourth in the table with the potential of a playoff position. By the end of the day they had fallen to 7th and out of contention. 3-1 losses to Bridgend and City of Bristol 2 combined with wins for all other teams mean that they are now in the bottom three, a position they hope to change in the last 2 triangulars of the season. Full match report will be posted shortly.

posted by GIVC on 18.2.08

Time runs out for Guildford…

In their last home fixture of this season Guildford's first match was against Milton Keynes, a team they had lost 3-1 to earlier in the season. Looking to show Milton Keynes what they were really capable of they took a closely fought first set 25-23. As they had in the first encounter Guildford then gave the visiting team the second set without really putting up a fight. A string of poor service receives gifted them the set 25-14.
Picking themselves up for the third set Guildford were level with Milton Keynes for most of the set but finding themselves 19-17 down they won back the serve and served out 6 points in a row to take 24-19 lead to which the visitors had no reply losing the set 25-21.
The fourth set was looking to be another close one but again Guildford failed to handle the service of Milton Keynes number 7 and went from 13-12 up to 18-13 down in one rotation. This lead proved unassailable and Milton Keynes won 25-22 forcing a fifth set.
The final set started well for Guildford with them siding out consistently, things improved even more when Milton Keynes appeared to be losing their cool seeing a yellow card issued to their excitable coach. Winning 8-5 at the change of ends looked to be a winning position and then finding themselves serving for the match at 14-13 Guildford didn’t quite have enough and a couple of unforced hitting errors gave Milton Keynes the break they needed and they clinched the set with a strong middle hit from Milton Keynes’ MVP number 12.

The five set match at the start of the day combined with a slow 3-1 win by Reading Aces over Milton Keynes meant that time was short for the final match of the day between Guildford and Reading Aces. The match was started and a weary looking Guildford started slowly and before they had a chance to get warm managed to lose 8 points on one rotation. Even the best teams would struggle to recover from this and a 25-17 first set loss was the result. With time running out the teams agreed that the match could not be completed in time so only one more set was played but knowing that the match was theirs regardless, Chiltern didn't put up much of a fight in losing the second set 25-16. Having not been played, the final 2 sets were awarded to Chiltern 25-0 25-0. Giving them a 3-1 win.

Guildford have now won 5 and lost 5 matches, this is currently enough to keep them in 3rd place in the league but with other results still to come they look likely to drop to 4th. They still a have a top 3 place to play for when they travel to Bristol on 17th February to face Bridgend and City of Bristol 2.

posted by JB on 15.1.08

Guildford Half Way There...

With half of the season gone Guildford International 2 are in 3rd place in NVL division 3. Their latest fixtures on 9th December saw them play the two teams at the bottom of the table with stand in setter Harvey Lewis taking to the court due to both regular setters being away.

The first set against City of Bristol 3 was closely fought with the Guildford players getting used to the new rotation winning 25-20. The error rate continued into the 2nd set with Guildford finding themselves 11-8 down, but then everything clicked into place and a string of strong serves from Christophe Juvanon and Harvey Lewis combined with strong front court play saw them win the set 25-12. At this point Bristol realised they were up against it and with all the Guildford players filled with confidence the final set was easily won 25-11 giving Guildford another straight sets victory for the season.

The second match of the day was against Team Southampton, a team Guildford has beaten easily only 2 weeks earlier. The Southampton team had in the meantime made a few changes to their lineup and they surprised the Guildford team with a strong start. Despite a strong fight back Guildford lost the first set 25-21. Clearly embarrassed by losing a set to the team bottom of the league Guildford started to attack with more energy and the ferocious hitting of Darren Heath and Jacek Pokorski was finding its way past the Southampton block with ease.

The second set was never in doubt and was won 25-16. Guildford didn’t give the opposition much of a break from the onslaught and continued to kill the ball from all positions winning 25-14 in the third set. The final set of the match gave Guildford a chance to make full use of the players making their first appearance for the team this season, outside hitters David Morcillo and Chakir Rhazi. Solid back court defence combined with intelligent hitting from both players meant that there was no chance for Southampton to fight back and Guildford won 25-18 winning the match 3-1.

Guildford’s first match of 2008 will be at ACS Cobham on 13th January against Milton Keynes and Reading Aces 2. The team is going to have to improve performances still further in the second half of the season if they are to maintain their position in the league. They have 2 matches against undefeated Plymouth activate and a return match against second place team City of Bristol 2.

posted by JB on 11.12.07

Match Report - 25th November...

Guildford International 2 took a trip to Southampton this weekend confident they could get two more wins in this seasons campaign. Their first match was against Milton Keynes who had just beaten Southampton 3-1.
Things seemed to be going to plan after winning the first set comfortably 25-18 but Milton Keynes applied a bit more pressure in the second set causing the Guildford pass to deteriorate. With a less effective attack from Guildford, Milton Keynes were able to utilise all their hitters in particular a very effective middle attack. This gave them the second set 25-21.
The third set started just as badly for Guildford giving the opposition a lead early in the set. Somehow Guildford picked themselves up a got back into the match fighting back to 25-24. Sadly Milton Keynes the got a service ace to win the set. Guidlford’s chances of win then quickly slipped away as they went 8 points down early in the next set. Not able to consistently win points 25-16 was all they could manage. Losing out in the end 3-1.

It was a completely different story against Team Southampton in the next match. Despite some impressive looking hits in the warmup as soon as Southampton started the match it quickly became apparent that they lacked the all round game to compete against Guildford. Strings of hitting errors from Southampton combined with a more effective middle attack from Guildford gave them the first set easily 25-12.
With their large squad of young players Southampton were able to change the team considerably for the second set but the result was the same, a Guildford win 25-16. The final set saw Southampton bring on a new setter but having been off for the previous two sets they lost the bulk of the early points whilst he got into the game. The early lead gave Guildford the confidence to serve aggressively which the Southampton team struggled to cope with. The set was won 25-17 and Guildford notched up their 3rd 3-0 victory of the season.

In two weeks Guildford play their next matches against the two bottom teams in the league, Team Southampton and City of Bristol 3. Two teams Guildford have already beaten 3-0 and are both without wins this season.

posted by JB on 11.12.07

Another season draws to a close ...

Guildford completed their National League Division 3 West fixtures with a 1-3 defeat against SGTV Solent. One of the teams better performances in a season which has been blighted by injuries.

The team have found life in the Western Division much tougher than in the East, finishing one place off bottom with a record of Won 2 Lost 14

posted by GIVC on 27.3.07

Prosport NVL Sponsorship Expires ...

Prosport's sponsorship of the NVL and EVA Cups ends on the 30th June. This means that next season NVL teams will be free to use any FIVB endorsed ball in both NVL and EVA Cup Competitions.

posted by GIVC on 23.6.06

Guildford Looking For NVL Players ...

Guildford International are looking to strengthen both NVL teams squads for the 2006/2007 season.The has two teams - one in the NVL Division 2 and one in the NVL DIvision 3 West.

If you are interested in playing NVL with Guildford next season then please email Mike Richardson

posted by GIVC on 19.6.06

Millar clinches MVP award ...

Guildford 2 player Ian Millar was awarded the Most Valuable Player in Mens Division 3 East. Each team is asked to nominate a MVP for each fixture played & the votes are counted up at the end of the season.

posted by GIVC on 6.6.06

Guildford secure 4th spot...

Guildford see themselves finish the season in 4th place in Division 3 East. The final two fixtures of the season saw them beat Tonbridge 3-1 and Brentwood Partners 3-0.

The final stats for the season are played 18, won 12, lost 6. This was not far behind the 2nd and 3rd placed teams, one more win would have seen them take second place in the league and a playoff spot... Maybe next season!

The league was won by Brentwood Estonians who impressively went the entire season undefeated and will be returning back to Division 2 next season.

posted by GIVC on 4.4.06

Guildford lose playoff hopes...

Guildford 2 will not be taking part in the division 3 playoffs this season. A 3-0 loss to Cambridge 2 removed all hope of that. The other fixture of the day saw Guildford easily beat a stuggling Tendring side 3-0.

posted by GIVC on 4.4.06

Guildford on the up...

This weekends matches against Ipswich and Dartford saw Guildford 2 maintain their 100% record for 2006.

The first match of the day was against Ipswich who earlier had just lost to Dartford in a close fought 5 set match. Guildford again were struggling for players and with only 6 players they knew it was going to be a tough day. Despite being rather cold from the unheated sports hall Guildford started well and gained a healthy 5 point lead. This was only to be lost after a string of strong jump serves from Ipswich that put Guildford passers under too much pressure. Eventually Guildford got past this rotation but the damage was done and Ipswich just about held onto the set winning 28-26.

Guildford came out in the second set knowing they had the ability to beat Ipswich but they just needed to cut out the unforced errors. Fortunately Ipswich had not realised they needed to do the same and the set was taken by Guildford 25-20 mainly due to the large number of hitting errors from Ipswich.

With the errors cut out of their play Guildford concentrated on their offence for the next set the pressure was put on the service and Ipswich buckled, gifting Guildford points through passing errors. This combined with effective blocking and spectacular back court play from Guildford gained them another set 25-15. By this point the six players of Ipswich were losing their energy and even more errors crept into their game. Guildford managed not to relax too much and managed to secure the set 25-18 and the match 3-1.

The second match against Dartford looked on paper to be an easier proposition given Dartford had only won two matches and were bottom of the table. That said, Dartford had earlier in the day come from 2 sets behind to beat Ipswich.

Dartford started the match well and whilst not having the youngest most agile team in the league they certainly made up for it in experience. This looked to be enough to win the first set for them but they managed not to convert several set points and Guildford had some refereeing decisions go their way to eventually win the set 29-27.

Guildford knew they were lucky to win the first set so they had to raise their level for the second. Much like the first match Guildford's back court defence kept them in it and they won the set 25-21.

The days efforts had taken their toll on Dartford and their hearts did not to be in it for the third set. Guildford were able to make a big lead and hold on to this until throughout the set to take it 25-13.

All in all a satisfying day for the Guildford team. Ipswich's two loses means they will have to win all their remaining matches 3-0 to be certain of a playoff position. Guildford might just be able to take the second spot from them if they can continue the form they have shown so far in 2006.

posted by GIVC on 28.2.06

Is this the same Guildford...?

A team bolstered with the presence of two new recruits, Bruce Gunn and David Munoz Morcillo faced Stowmarket in the first game of the weekend. Their presence helped steady the ship in a comfortable 3-0 victory. Whilst Stowmarket showed flashes of high quality play too many unforced errors cost them the match against a consistent Guildford team. Set scores, 25-19, 25-14, 25-19.

The second match of the day against home team TH Lynx looked to be a much tougher test. Their young team with some very strong hitters went for it from the start, fortunately the blocking of Guildford stood the test, with the energetic movement of middle hitters Rudolf and Micah forming the block well. The frustration took it's toll on the team and they collapsed giving Guildford the set 25-11.

Without a coach and only six players, the TH Lynx side did not seem to be able to change their ways and again their powerful hitting was not enough to beat the overall defence of Guildford.

In the fourth set, coach John Biddiscombe decided that a change was in order and the new line up unsettled Guildford enough for TH Lynx to seize the initiative and whilst closely fought Lynx won 25-22.

Not wanting to risk a 5th set Guildford reverted back to their original lineup which proved to be the right decision. Lynx were able to take a 5-0 lead whilst the returning players found their rhythm, but this was short lived, following some good serving from Guss Todd and Micah Smith the scores were level again at 8-8. From then on the momentum of Guildford allowed them to stretch their lead and the set and match were sealed by an jump serve ace from Darren Heath.

These results leave Guildford 5th in the table but with games in hand. If they can continue in this form 3rd place is within reach and with some favorable results elsewhere 2nd place is possible.

Guildford's next outing will be away to Dartford and Ipswich on 26th February.

posted by GIVC on 30.1.06

2006 Looking good so far...

Guildford's NVL Division 3 team started 2006 in a style they would like to continue. Two matches played and two matches won!

The first match of the day was against a Tonbridge team containing several familiar faces from the Tonbridge team of old, plus a few young recruits. Tonbridge started the match well and took an early 10 point lead, but Guildford then settled down and although eventually losing the set but had closed the gap to only 25-22. Using the momentum from the end of the first set Guildford worked hard and took the next set 25-18.

At one set a piece Tonbridge fought back and a close set finally went in Guildford favor 25-22. This broke the resolve of Tonbridge and they gave up the final set easily 25-16. Guildford won 3-1.

The second match against Tendring had a different feel all together. It started with problems organising scorers and line judges at the start which saw Panos Saragotis volunteer to give up his place on court do do the scoring for the match. This left on court options limited and proved to be a distraction which gave Tendring and early lead. Slowly Guildford regained their composure and clawed back the deficit to take the first set 25-21.

The next two sets were a different story with a Guildford win never in doubt, Guildford never played at their best but did enough to keep Tendring under control. The final result being a second set score of 25-22 and an extremely comfortable final set win 25-13. Guildford won 3-0.

Guildford are aiming to keep the results going the same way for the rest of the season, but this will be tough. On the 29th January they face the two most youthful teams in the league, Tendring looking for a better performance at home and TH Lynx who beat Guildford 3-0 last time out.

posted by GIVC on 9.1.06

TH Lynx confidence high...

For the second match of the day Guildford were forced to make some major changes. With Christophe Juvanon, Rudolf Popalopsky and Ross Pickens all unable to make the start of the second match the line up was changed with Darren Heath moving to middle hitting position and Matt Nielson returning to the team as setter. Not for the first time this season the changes meant a very slow and confused start for the team. This gifted the first set to a young TH Lynx side full of confidence after beating Dartford 3-0.

Just in time for the second set Christophe Juvanon returned to replace Darren Heath in the middle hitting position. This made a big difference and this combined with improved passing opened up the options for setter Matt Nielson and the score eventually reached 24-24. Guidford then made it 25-24 but with the set within reach a hitting mistake gave the impetus back to Lynx who then went on to win 28-26.

The close loss in the second set saw a deflated Guildford return for the 3rd set while TH Lynx were enjoying their comfortable lead. This meant there was only ever going to be one result and Lynx took an 18-10 lead and eventually a 25-15 victory.

Guildford now have to resist the mince pies over Christmas so they are ready to take on Tonbridge and Tendring on the 8th January.

posted by GIVC on 5.12.05

Dartford can't bridge the gap...

After losing their last three matches Guildford needed to stop the slump in performances on court. Things looked promising as for the first time this season the full squad was available for the first match of the day against Dartford.

Coach John Biddiscombe's starting 6 was based on the players who has been performing best at training earlier in the week. This proved to be a wise choice as the team worked well together to take the set comfortable 25-16. Complacency crept in for the second set and a few unforced errors allows Dartford to get a 5 point lead early in the set. Guildford then rallied but left it a little too late and lost out 26-24.

The third set was again closely fought but this time Guildford had enough to take the set 25-22. At this point Dartford appeared to give up the fight, their number 7 appeared tired after being their dominant hitter and passer for 3 sets, consequently a string of hitting errors came forth this combined with the improved play from Guildford gave them a 25-15 win in the set to take the match 3 sets to 1.

posted by GIVC on 5.12.05

Exprienced Guildford Get The Better of Brentwood's Youth...

Angry with themselves for throwing away a 2-0 lead earlier in the day, Guildford went into their second match against Brentwood Partners determined to make a mends. Facing the more manageable serves and attacks of Brentwood meant that Guildford were soon able to find their rhythm and take the first set 25-20.

The second set went much the same way with Brentwood showing flashes of skill but the young team being let down by lack of consistency. Guildford comfortably won the second set 25-17.

For the third set, John Biddiscombe stepped aside to allow England Cadet Ross Pickens to take over the setter role. Once settled down, Ross distributed the ball well enabling Guildford to claw back an early lead from Brentwood to win the final set 26-24.

Overall, the day was a better performance than Guildford's last outing. Guildford now have to wait until 11th November to see if they can continue this improvement with a rematch against Brentwood Estonians and league newcomers Cambridge 2.

posted by GIVC on 24.10.05