Crucial round for Phantoms
Four out of seven Phantoms volleyball teams face crunch games on Saturday as the state league season hits the business end of the competition.
The premier men have slipped in the past two weeks, dropping games to teams below them on the ladder.
They square off against Mazenod, and while the boys from the city are struggling in their first season in the premier competition, they will give their absolute all to make it tough for the home team.
Premier coach Damon Minotti has had his boys training throughout the school holidays to ensure they take to the Bendigo court ready to fire, something that has been missing from games in recent weeks.
The reserves men will welcome back Jayden Mcqueen from premier duties. After Mornington upset Renegades last week, the season is still alive for the Phantoms.
While they have been beaten in their past two encounters against top-two teams, the Phantoms have been far from disgraced. With Mazenod well below them on the ladder, they should record a win and keep finals hopes alive for another week.
The division-two men are out of contention for finals but will look to finish the season on a positive note.
Division-three boys are one win outside the four and face off against Croydon 36ers, which are above them on the ladder. After their upset win over Dandenong White last week, Phantoms will go into the game full of confidence to keep finals hopes alive.
Reserves women played their worst game of the year last round when they were demolished by Bluebelles.
They will be out to perform a number on Eastside Hawks, which are languishing well below them on the ladder.
Phantoms sit comfortably in the top two on the ladder, but will be out to recapture their best form in the lead-up to finals.
The division-two girls let a golden opportunity slip last week, losing in five sets to Heidelberg. They will now have to win in straight sets against Eastside Hawks on Saturday and hope for the best the following week to enable them to sneak into the top six.
The division-three girls lost to Heidelberg last week and now must beat Croydon 36ers to keep their finals hopes alive, which they should be able to do as their opposition has only won one game for the year.
Another massive round of state league volleyball awaits the Phantoms on Saturday with the added advantage of playing at home at Bendigo. • Entries are now being taken for the Volleyball Horsham winter season competition across all grades, which starts on July 31.