Tag Archives: kent sport

Final Standings of 2024 Summer Volleyball Championship

Uncategorized, , , , , , , ,

So, it took a while to get the results in, but here we have our final standings for the 2024 Maidstone Volleyball Club outdoor Summer Champs Grand Prix!

Dodging the weather with wind, sun & rain, we saw:

  • 7 events in total take place over the course of the summer.
  • 48 different players took part in the event.
  • 42 separate games took place
  • The lead changed hands multiple times and was decided on the last day
  • Callum & Rajnish held the joint top average score per event at 158 points
  • Archie, Jorden and Lewis had the highest participation
  • 1 model airplane & 1 dog had a cameo appearance
  • 3 quadzillion bugs entered towards the end…
  • 1 ankle was twisted, 1 parent was unexpectedly involved and no sunburns were reported…
  • Up to 4 courts were in use at once at many sessions.

Quite impressive stats for the inaugural event, which was only conceived at the beginning of July. Had it started when outdoors summer season first begun, we could have seen another 5 or 6 events take place! This really shows just how strong the love of volleyball is in the region right now.

Throughout the Grand Prix, we saw standout performances from many players, with everyone increasing their game. Almost all of these players are now continuing with the indoor season at MVC, adding the existing indoor players roster of talent and potential.

The format of the events, was have all players play with different people over timed games. There was no split between gender, ability or age. Often starting at 6v6 for 20 minutes, and as people arrived team split into smaller teams of 4 or 3.

At the end of each game, the teams scores were recorded. Players were then awarded these points to their tally. So if a player played 3 games, and scored 15, 26 and 23, they would have earned 64 points for them.

Teams were chosen at random, with a mixture of playing cards being used, and suggestions of random iterations of 1,2,3,4. Only the last event was structured, so that the leading players were on different teams.

After the results were in, it seems that consistency and regularity was the key. Combining a moderate average score per game, with a high attendance was the order of the day.

To ensure a high average score, it meant no matter who was on your team, the team had to perform.

Taking the bronze medal at the end of the summer for 3rd place was Archie with 847 points.

Just missing out on top spot on the last day but still getting a very good silver for 2nd place was Jorden with 872 points.

And our winner this season, was Lewis taking gold, with a total points of 914.

Next summer season promises to bring even better competition, and hopefully better prizes (our winners received a well deserved pat on the back this year…).

If any attendees have any photos of the events, please feel free to share with maidstonevolleyball@gmail.com.

Now onwards to the indoor season!

MVC Volleyball Event Recap: Thrilling Matches, Weather Challenges, and Leaderboard Updates

MVC Summer Champs, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , , ,

For the first time in quite a few weeks, the rain looked threatening, but that did not deter this bunch of weather hardy players!

A tent was set up for valuables, two courts were erected, and players started getting ready.

Pre team selection, chatter was rife with who may be leading after this week, with the absence of the championship leader Gareth….

The first match, as always, was a 6 v 6 affair, with an even split down the leader board for players, it showed when the match finished a nail biting 23-24, those on team 2 getting a single point advantage over their fellow players.

The arrival of 3 players brought the return to 4 v 4, and we enlisted the all powerful random team selection machine, otherwise known as ‘The Chair’….

There was a notable performance from some of the shorter players, moving about and picking up more balls than normal, negating some of the taller players tactics.

And then…came…the….rain…!!! Thankfully it was only a light drizzle, so was still playable with a little caution and a keen eye on the surface.

Even with some players seemingly ignoring coaches advice to only bump set, confident in their water based setting skills…. this then brought about an onslaught of handling errors, most noticed in the 3rd match between team 1 and team 2, with a 13-28 victory!

The weather dried up for matches 4, 5 & 6, but the light reduced. We are not sure if this is due to the earlier setting of the sun, darker clouds looming overhead, or the apparent mass of gnats or mosquitos blocking out the sun in search of the juiciest skin….

There were some notable performances throughout the evening, with a special congratulations for Harper for gaining the highest score of the evening at 151, 7 points more than 2nd highest scorer – also thank you for keeping the scores in your game as well Harper 🙂

The average scores per match for this week were 19.83 at lowest, and 25.16 at highest.

Our most notable movers in the top of the table this week were Gareth, dropping from the lofty heights of 1st down to 5th after missing this event, and Kenny moving all the way up to 4th. She is now the leading female, but also in contention of taking the overall title, being only 89 points from the lead!

With Jorden managing to outscore Archie by 17 points this week, it has moved him up into 3rd, 2 points behind Archie in 2nd place.

Our new leader this week, for the 2nd time, and scoring the second highest amount for this week, is Lewis. An impressive 144 this week moves him into 1st place on 716 points, 44 points clear of the lead.

What will happen next week? Can Gareth reclaim his position at the top? Can Archie beat his old coach, can Jorden prove the value of experience? Or will Kenny or Harper come rattling through to contest the lead? Only time will tell!