Region’s strong representation

Volleyball Horsham will be well represented in Phantoms men’s team on Saturday when Tim Carter and Jack Exell debut in the premier competition of Victorian Volleyball League.

Carter comes into the team at the expense of Josh Gordon, who is on holidays. He will assume the pivotal libero role as he makes his return to the club for his first game in five years.

Exell will play as a pass-hitter. He returns after recovering from a knee injury he suffered at a Ballarat tournament last month.

Carter and Exell join Nathan Berry, Jack Hannan and Clay Heard to play a double-header against powerhouse teams Melbourne Uni Renegades and Eastside Hawks.

A morning game against Renegades will see the team renew acquaintances with former Volleyball Horsham member Nick Adamson, and Rio 2016 Olympian, Mexican Jose Martinez.

Nick is playing a new role with his team, taking over the libero role, while Martinez is an imposing middle blocker and quick attacker who was the difference between the two teams when they last met in State League last year,

The match-up between Heard and Martinez will be a great learning curve for the young Phantom and if he can get some touches early, it will do wonders for his confidence and that of the team.

The boys did well in their first game against Dandenong, improving each set. The team set targets to give an indication of how they build their scoring profile, with at least 50 per cent of points coming on attack and an error rate below that of the opposition — and this is what the team were able to achieve in the last set-and-ahalf in that game.

We’re under no illusions that this is going to be a tough game because Renegades gave us a lesson in Warrnambool, but we did push them to five sets last time.

The afternoon game against Eastside Hawks will be another tough one with Hawks second on the ladder winning their first two games.