2010 SITTING VOLLEYBALL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS IN OKLAHOMA – SQUAD AND PLAYER UPDATES

The GB Sitting Volleyball squads have returned from Oklahoma where they faced tough competition in the highest profile international tournament ahead of the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

Overall, the trip was a successful one for Great Britain Sitting Volleyball players and marked another important step in their development.  With the WOVD already guaranteeing a slot in the London 2012 Paralympics, all the teams are looking for now is endorsement from ParalympicsGB as they strive to send a team capable of credible performances.

Great Britain Sitting Men

Overall finish – 17th place out of 18

Matches played:

GB vs. Morocco = 1-3 (loss)
GB vs. Netherlands = 2-3 (loss)
GB vs. Germany = 0-3 (loss)
GB vs. Brazil = 0-3 (loss)
GB vs. Russia = 0-3 (loss)
GB vs. India = 3-0 (win)
GB vs. Kazakhstan = 1-3 (loss)
GB vs. South Korea = 3-1 (win)
GB vs. Libya = 3-0 (win)


Ian Legrand, Head Coach of GB Men, said:

“We’ve put in a lot of hours since the World Cup in March and I was pleased to see the players who have shown their talent and commitment both on and off the court are starting to put in the performances we knew they were capable of. 

“To be disappointed that we didn’t get through to Division A (top 12 in the world play-offs) shows how far we have come.  I am really pleased with our performances, our set wins and we know that our next step is to performance to our potential for the duration of a match and then the results will come.  Thanks to everyone for making this experience possible.”

Rob Richardson, captain of the GB Men said:

“We have had a really useful trip to Oklahoma.  It has proved to us again that the work we are doing is continuing to push us forward and compete with the teams around the world in preparation for London.  All the players have benefited massively and it’s been a really nice having the Great Britain Women to cheer for us for the first time!”

Great Britain Sitting Women

The Worlds 2010 was the first ever international tournament that the GB Women had competed in since the GB Sitting Development programme was launched in December 2009. The tournament presented an opportunity to gain experience and study some of the world’s best teams.

The results were as expected for such a new team, but in each case the team reached their target of an average of 10 points a set. The GB team developed their serving and pass receive quickly and as the games developed the number of 3 touch attacked increased significantly.

Overall finish =

Matches played:

GB vs. China = 0-3 (loss)
GB vs. Ukraine = 0-3 (loss)
GB vs. Slovenia = 0-3 (loss)
GB vs. Brazil = 0-3 (loss)
GB vs. Russia = 0-3 (loss)
GB vs. Japan = 0-3 (loss)
GB vs. Canada = 3-1 (win)
 
Overall the GB Sitting Volleyball Women’s squad scored 156 points and conceded 375 over the course of the Worlds 2010.

In Phase 1 the team took on Ukraine, Russia, Slovenia and Brazil before being involved in a play off with Japan, Brazil and Canada to determine 9th-12th.

The GB Women played their best match of the tournament against the Canadian team, winning 3-1 overall and coming back strongly after losing the first set narrowly to the team that started their national team programme 2 years ago.
 
Team Manager Gordon Neale OBE said:
 
“The girls have had a great experience out here in Oklahoma, the rest of the Sitting Volleyball world now knows we have an International team and if we can make the same kind of progress as the Men’s Sitting team has in the last year then we can be in a great position come London.”
 
GB Women captain Emma Wiggs said:

“This has been an unbelievable experience and one that we hope to use as a springboard to accelerate us towards London.  Having a chance to watch and play against the very best teams in the world has inspired and motivated us even more to train and commit to Sitting Volleyball.”
 
Full details of the tournament results can be found here:

http://administration.uco.edu/ucowc/worlds/m-info.php

The GB Sitting Volleyball Squads’ blog of their Worlds 2010 experience can be found here:
http://www.volleyballengland.org/Sitting_Volleyball/worldsblog.php
 
The selected GB Sitting Volleyball athletes are:

GB Women
 
Emma Wiggs – (captain) (Portsmouth Sitting Volleyball)
Claire Harvey (Kent Wyverns)
Jessica O'Brien (FDSW Celtic Dragons)
Chloe Jones (East Midlands Lions)
Louise Darby (East Midlands Lions)
Jessica Frezza (East Midlands Lions)
Olga Jegorova (FDSW Celtic Dragons)
Martine Wright (Surrey Sitting Volleyball)
Andrea Green (East Midlands Lions)
Amy Brierly (FDSW Celtic Dragons)
 
Head Coach: John Bestebroer
Assistant Coach: Steve Jones
Team Manager: Gordon Neale
Physio: Kat Atkin
Trainer/Video Scout: Karen Hung

GB Men

Robert Richardson (captain) (East London Lynx)
James Roberts (FDSW Celtic Dragons)
Muzaffar Jabber (East London Lynx)
John Worrall (East London Lynx)
Charles Alastair Walker (Surrey Sitting Volleyball)
John Munro (East London Lynx)
Andrew Skinner (East Midlands Lions)
Justin Phillips (Surrey Sitting Volleyball)
Benjamin Hall (Surrey Sitting Volleyball)
Anton Raimondo (East London Lynx)

Head Coach: Ian Legrand
Assistant Coach: Ashley Trodden
Team Manager: Gordon Day
Physio: Tessa Da Silva
Video Scout: Ed Humphries
 
NOTES:
 
Sitting Volleyball is another version of Volleyball that has been adapted to allow anyone to participate, including those with a disability, and the men’s competition has been part of the  Paralympic Games since 1980 and the women’s since 2004.

In Sitting Volleyball, the international rules for Standing Volleyball apply in principle, with amendments allowing for a sport for disabled players: during play, a player must touch the court with some part of their body between the buttocks and the shoulders, and you are able to block the serve. Sitting Volleyball is played on a smaller court (meaning quicker points and faster, more exciting play) with a lower net to account for the players’ seated positions.

Volleyball England is the branded image for the English Volleyball Association (EVA). Volleyball England is the recognised National Governing Body for Volleyball in all its forms, including Volleyball, Beach Volleyball and Sitting Volleyball in England. Volleyball England has a service level agreement with the British Volleyball Federation (BVF) to manage the GB Sitting Volleyball Performance Programme.

For more information on getting involved with Sitting Volleyball, regional centres and much more, please visit www.volleyballengland.org/sitting