Aer Lingus V DVC

25-22, 25-19, 25-22, 25-20

It came as a great shock when our PL lost out to a very strong and determined DVC side in the Association Cup Final in UCD last Saturday. Aer Lingus took a commanding early lead in the 1^st set and everything looked like it would go according to plan for the favourites. DVC clawed some points back but our girls closed out the 1^st set 25-22. In the 2^nd set DVC started very well and gained control of the set with some powerful attacking, blocking & defence. Aer Lingus just could not get going and things seemed out of sorts with DVC dominating & going on to win the 2^nd set 25-19. The 3^rd set was fairly similar with DVC playing the better volleyball and very focused all the way. Our girls battled hard but DVC edged ahead to win the 3^rd set 25-22. In the 4^th a final set is was similar with Aer Lingus tried hard but were still out of sorts and DVC were now in control and they went on to take the match 3-1. Our girls were bitterly disappointed knowing that they did not play up to their usual very high standard. It turned out DVC were the more hungry, determined & better team on the day. 

On behalf of all the members of our Club we would like to congratulate our PL Team on an unbelievable and historic run of matches.  Our PL Team were unbeaten since November 2008 when Santry beat them in the League.

·         67 Matches in a row since Nov 2008

·         5 National League Titles in a row

·         3 Association Cups in a row

This is a fantastic achievement for which all our girls can be extremely proud. No other team in the history of the ladies Premier League has achieved such an unbeaten run of matches. We as a club are extremely proud of our PL Team for this unbelievable successful run over the last 5 years. A very special word of thanks to coach Mark Delahunty who took this team from Division 1 into the Premiership and went on to win 4 League & 3 Cup Titles in a row. A tremendous job and without Mark’s dedication and commitment this would not have been possible. Many thanks also to new coach this year Adam Wong who successfully defended the league title again this year. I have no doubt that this setback will make our PL team more determined to come back next season and go for the double once again.

These awards were announced and presented at the VAI Annual Dinner on Sat 28th April

Congratulations also to Liz Barry, Noemi Kuncik, Kate Hanrahan & Radek who won All Star Awards. Again another fantastic personnel achievement by all concerned.

Congratulations also to Andrew Goti who won the Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award in two catagories. The Junior Mens Cup in UCD Sat 21st April and MVP on the VAI Beach Circuit last summer.

The All Stars Games on Sunday 13th May 2012.

Matches will take place in Castlepark in Dalkey. The Women's match is at 12 noon and the Men's match is at 3pm.

Please support if at all possible.

·         Support our Senior Ladies Fundraising efforts – please buy a ticket from our squads members

·         Our 1^st Division End of Season Tournament will take place on Sunday 27^th May in ALSAA

·         VAI Beach Volleyball Circuit starts up again this summer

• Support our Senior Ladies Fundraising efforts – please buy a ticket from our squads members

• Sat 28^th April in the Association Cup final UCD

• Our 1^st Division End of Season Tournament will take place on Sunday 27^th May in ALSAA

Premier Ladies

Munster Thunder 1 -3 Aer Lingus

Result 25-22, 15-25, 22-25, 19-25

The Premier Women travelled to Limerick for their last league match on Sunday. Thinking that it should be a relatively easy match as Limerick are bottom of the table, we knew it would also be a challenge as they had nothing to lose and we were heading down without a full squad and people playing out of position. As anticipated, Limerick started strongly and we struggled to get ourselves into a rhythm early. Eventually Limerick took the first set 25-22.

With the result of the first set giving us the motivation, we started out strongly in the second set with some tough server and excellent blocking from Kate Hanrahan and Liz Barry, eventually winning the set 25-15. The third and fourth sets went very much the same way, with excellent pockets of play from Limerick to keep us on our toes but the strong serving was too much for them and the final sets were won 25-22 and 25-19.

The very best of luck Sat 28^th April in the Association Cup final for the 4^th successive year.

A fantastic achievement all round and again many congratulations to all concerned.

Sunday 15^th in ALSAA

Aer Lingus 3 – 0 DVC 

Result 25-15, 25-13, 25-10

Our Premier men beat DVC 3-0 in convincing fashion on Sunday in ALSAA. Aer Lingus took an early lead in the 1^st set with some very good serving, attacking & defence and went on to take the set 25-15. Aer Lingus PM were always in control for the whole game with the 2^nd & 3^rd sets following a similar pattern. The goal for the team was to play at a high standard along with keeping a fast tempo game resulting in a lot of fast plays through the middle and our lads certainly done so. Our PM finished a very credible 3^rd place in the Premier League having just lost out in some of the top of the table clashes during the season. 

Division 1 Men

Sun 15^th Apr in Tallaght

Tallaght Rockets 0 – 3 Aer Lingus Harriers

Result 11-25, 25-27, 22-25

Aer Lingus Harriers had a 3-0 win against Tallaght Rockets on Sunday to take a very credible 3^rd place in Division 1 League, their best season to date. Our lads started well and dominated the first set with some great attacking, serving & defence. In the 2^nd set Tallaght upped their game and gave our lads a good fight throughout. Harriers held their nerve & closed out the set 27-25. In the 3^rd set again it was fairly close with Tallaght not giving up & fighting all the way. Alain our lads did enough to close the set out 25-22 and the game.  A good 3-0 win to finish off a great season for AL Harriers and with plenty to look forward to next season. Best on the day were Matthew and Peter & Andrew.

The team consisted of Peter Piecek, Anthony Nguyen, Akos, Deepak, Michal, Matthew, Andrew Goti, & Lukas.

Division 1 Ladies

Sun 15^th Apr in ALSAA

AL Hawks 3 – 2 UCD

Result 25-12, 14-25, 25-20, 23-25, 15-12

Our Division 1L Hawks had a great 3-2 win in an very tight battle against a very much improved UCD side. Hawks started very well and dominated the 1^st set from start to finish playing some great volleyball and going on to win 25-12. UCD started very strongly in the 2^nd set and went in to a commanding lead which our girls could not retrieve and UCD took the 2^nd set 25-14. Hawks settled in the third and were back in control going on to take the set 25-20. A 3-1 win looked on the cards but UCD did not read the script and with some great defense throughout went point for point with Aer Lingus. Hawks had their opportunity but a few errors gave UCD the 4^th set 25-23. The game was now on for 1 hour & 25 minutes and tiredness & concentration could play a big part in the 5^th & final set. However our girls dug deep and played some great volleyball to close out the set & game 15-12 and a well deserved win. It was a great team performance against a very resilient UCD side. Our girls were jubilant with the great win & finish to the league in an game that lasted 1 hour 45 mins. The team consisted of Edel Finn, Patrycja Frach, Ali Peacocke, Suzanne Donnelly, Romy Paust, Kira, Liga Rusmane and Anna Hobza. The girls can now look forward to producing their best form against Tallaght next Sunday away.

The very best of luck to both Hawks & Harriers who participate in the Championships this Sat/Sun in UCD.

Both or PL & PM are in the Association Cups in DCU on Saturday and if you are free please go along and support.

Start times below for the forthcoming Association Cup semi-finals.
Men’s
12:00       UCD v Munster Thunder 
14:30       Aer Lingus v BMP 

Women’s
12:00        Aer Lingus v Naas
14:30        Santry/DVCD1 v DVC premier

Please note that game 2 will start immediately after game 1, but at the earliest at the time given above.

PL DVC 0 -3 Aer Lingus

21-25, 19-25, 20-25

Aer Lingus Premier Ladies took on their nearest competitor on Sunday in what promised to be the most competitive game of the season.  Both teams came out strongly in the first set with Dublin leading slightly at the final technical timeout.  The Aer Lingus ladies dug deep and through some strong serving they managed to take the first set 25-21.

The second set followed a similar pattern with some really high level volleyball being played by both teams.  Again it was tit for tat for the majority of the set but the Aer Lingus Ladies stayed calm under pressure when it mattered and took the set 25 -19.

Aer Lingus took the 3rd and final set 25-20 to record one of the hardest wins of the season.  It was a fantastic team performance with some outstanding attacking and defence but in particular the blocking from Kate Hanrahan made the difference.  The team will take the confidence gained from such a good team performance into their Cup Semi Final against Naas on Saturday.

PM DCU 3 -1 Aer Lingus

The lads started slowly in the 1st set with DCU being in front most of the way.  As the set progressed AL built some good momentum but always remained just out of touch with DCU taking the set 25-22.  The second set started in a similar fashion but AL became competitive earlier and with strong serving, good blocking and scrappy defence stayed neck and neck through the set and with a strong spirit took the 2nd set by a similar margin to the first but in their favour.  The third set followed a similar pattern with both teams locked at 17 all scoring point for point for much of the set.  At this point AL seem to lose momentum holding back on what had been strong and accurate serving and losing a certain level of effectiveness in attack for a few points which proved to be difference and DCU ran out 25-21 winners.  The 4th started did not start well and DCU raced into an unassailable lead with AL unable to create momentum/traction and failed to make DCU play.  DCU ran out easy winners in the end winning 25-15.  Aer Lingus play DCU in the cup semi-final this coming weekend and will be looking for a reversal of fortunes!!!

D1M Sun 26^th Mar in ALSAA

 Aer Lingus 0 – 3 BMP

Result 22-25, 20-25, 18-25

Aer Lingus Harriers played the unbeaten League leaders BMP on Sunday and unfortunately could not overturn a very strong BMP side. The 1^st set was close all the way and our lads looked good but BMP showed their experience to close out the set 25-22. The 2^nd set again was close but a number of unforced errors and receive of service let our lads down and BMP went on to take the 2^nd set 25-20. BMP had a strong start in the 3^rd set take a strong lead and proving too great a margin for our lads to claw back. BMP went on to take the set 25-18 and the game 3-0. Missing 4 players through work & injury on the day our lads were a disappointed. BMP are a very strong side and are destined for the Premier next season. Best for Harriers on the day were Peter, Andrew and Deepak with a good team performance at times. The team consisted of Peter Piecek, Anthony Nguyen, Deepak, Greg Kaczmarek, Andrew Goti, Eugene Chervonenkro & Lukas.

Sun 26^th Mar in Clondalkin

DVC 3 – 0 AL Hawks

Result 21-25, 19-25, 18-25

D1L Hawks – Our Division 1L Hawks played a very strong 2^nd in the table DVC side away on Sunday. The 1^st set was close all the way but DVC showed their experience and went on to win 25-21. Hawks had a poor start to the 2^nd set with the receive of service causing problems and DVC going on to take the set 25-19. Although our girls tried hard DVC had their measure and their strong attacking, defence and serving proved too strong for our girls.  DVC took a commanding lead in the 3^rd set with too much for our girls to claw back and they went on to take the set 18-25 and the game. Our girls were missing a few players on the day.

The team consisted of Edel Finn, Patrycja Frach, Suzanne Donnelly, Ali Peacocke, Franziska Weissman, Liga Rusmane, Anna Hobza.

 Aer Lingus 3 – 0 Maynooth

Result 25-21, 26-24, 25-17

Aer Lingus Harriers played Maynooth on Tuesday and had a very good 3-0 win against a tough side. The first set was close all the way with our lads closing the set out well 25-21. Maynooth started strong in the 2^nd set and took a commanding lead with our lads finding it hard to settle. Maynooth were looking good for the set at 24-21 but our lads dug deep plus a little bit of luck to take the set 26-24. Maynooth were deflated and could not recover from this setback and our lads were always in control in the 3^rd set and went on to win 25-17 and record a 3-0 win.

Best for Harriers on the day were Peter, Andrew and Deepak but overall it was a very good team performance. The team consisted of Peter Piecek, Anthony Nguyen, Chris Vinzons, Deepak, Greg Kaczmarek, Andrew Goti, Eugene Chervonenkro & Lukas.

The National Senior Ladies Volleyball Team are organising a fundraising raffle to help their with their travel expenses to the Small Nations Qualifying Competition in Malta, June 2012. As you may be aware we have a very strong presence from Aer Lingus Premier Ladies on the Irish Ladies National Squad.

Mark Delahunty is Senior Coach while Rebecca is assistant Coach. Liz is squads manager and we have Noemi Kuncik, Regina NihAilpin and Edel Nolan on the squad. Please support our girls in buying tickets this evening at training or over the next few weeks

The cost per line is €5 per line and the prizes are fantastic.  Attached is a poster with all the info.  Prizes are as follows:

1.  7 nights stay in a three bedroom penthouse apartment in Estrela de Luz, Portugal (flights not included) – valued at € 1,000. 

2.  2 tickets to the Munster v Ulster RaboDirect Game on May 5th, together with 2 after-match passes to the players’ lounge / hospitality area

3.  2 x tickets for Roxette at the O2 on Monday 9th of July in Block C ( cool seats with a good view) - doors open at 18.30 with show start time T.B.C
 
4.  2 x tickets for Jeff Dunham at the O2 on Sat 5th May in Block C show starts at 20.30, with doors opening at 18.30

5.  Sterling silver set of earrings, chain and pendant with an amethyst stones

6.  Malanos meal (2 starters, 2 mains & 2 soft drinks) for the Grand Canal restaurant.

PM Sun 11^th Mar in ALSAA

Aer Lingus 3 – 0 Amber Coast

Result 25-14, 25-19, 32-30

The PM men played the quarter final of the association cup against Amber Coast on Sunday.The team had a great result 3-0 in what was a good tough match.The team started strongly in the 1st set and held the lead throughout with some great defence; good use of the middle which helped spread the block creating opportunities on all wings.  The lads ran out easy winners at 25-17.  The second set followed much the same pattern with the exception of a dip in concentration in the middle of the set where Amber Coast closed to within 2 points.  Again with some good serving and strong outside attacking in particular from Radek Janora the team again ran out comfortable winners at 25-19.  

The third set was a different affair with Amber Coast pushing hard at the beginning of the set to run into a 15-8 lead.  With strong attacking and serving this lead was overhauled to the lads finally having match point at 24-23.  The lead then switched hands with Amber Coast gaining the advantage and had a number of set points.  The lads showed great spirit and swapped point for point gaining another match point only to lose out again to finally winning on their 3rd match point at 31-29 in what was a very exciting finish.  

Congrats all round. Our lads now meet BMP in the semi finals.

Weds 7th March in Ballymun

BMP 0 - 3 Aer Lingus

Result 15-25, 21-25, 15-25

Wednesday evening saw the defending champions get their first run out in the Association Cup against Ballymun Patriots.  The teams had recently met in the league and Ballymun had caused Aer Lingus a number of problems so it was a well prepared Aer Lingus team that made the short journey to their northside neighbours.

Both teams started strongly and the game was very evenly matched until some strong serving from Liz Barry, resulted in Aer Lingus racing to a 10 point lead and finally winning the set quite convincingly.

However Ballymun were very resilient and came out with some strong serving  in the second set.  They're the best serving team that the Aer Lingus ladies have faced all season but the experience of Aer Lingus passers Jenny King, Sinead Conner and Noemi Kuncik showed through and Aer Lingus went on to claim the second set.

D1M Fri 9th Mar in ALSAA

Aer Lingus 3 – 1 UCD

Result 20-25, 25-21, 25-18, 25-19

Aer Lingus Harriers were at home Friday evening and had a very good 3-1 win against a tough UCD side. UCD started strong and took a commanding lead with our lads finding it hard to settle. The unforced errors gave UCD a big advantage and although out lads eventually settled and make a comeback UCD closed out the 1^st set 25-20. The 2^nd set was a tight affair with only a few points in it all the way. UCD were very resilient and proved to a tough team to crack and at 19 all the result was still up for grabs. Our lads came good in the end with some great attacking from both Peter and Andrew to pull away and win 25-21.

In the 3^rd set our lads played their best volleyball and controlled the set from start to finish with again some strong defence and attack and went on to take the set 25-18. The 4^th set started off with UCD still battling hard and hanging in there at 14-14. But again our lads proved to strong and went on to close out the set very well 25-19 and win the game 3-1. Best for Harriers on the day were Peter, Andrew and Eugene but overall it was a very good team performance. The team consisted of Peter Piecek, Anthony Nguyen, Chris Vinzons, Deepack, Greg Kaczmarek, Andrew Goti, Akos Dunai & Eugene Chervonenkro.

Our lads play Maynooth Tuesday 13th March in ALSAA at 8.30pm where we expect another exciting game and hopefully Harriers at their best once again.

Bowling Night Is now re-scheduled to Wednesday 28^th Mar in ALSAA at 8.45pm. Please let me know soonest if you are available.

CODE of ETHICS COURSE – There are Code of Ethics Awareness courses still available, please see VAI website for details.

Many congratulations to our Premier Ladies who sealed the Premier League for the 5th year in a row on Saturday in Naas. They won 3-1 in a hard fought and exciting match against a very spirited Naas. The Premier Ladies, unbeaten all season, have only dropped only 4 sets in 12 matches,  a fantastic achievement.  Many congratulations to coaches, Adam Wong and Rebecca and all the girls.

Sat 3^rd March in Naas

Naas Cobras 1 – 3 Aer Lingus

Result 25-21, 12-25, 18-25, 16-25

The Aer Lingus Premier Ladies travelled to Naas on Saturday afternoon, knowing that a win would secure their 5th premier league title in succession.  The game started tentatively, with both sides making unforced errors.  It seemed the occasion had almost got to the Aer Lingus Ladies and it was Naas who were in inspired form and took the first set 25-21, with support from a large home crowd.

In the second set the Aer Lingus ladies made a strong start and with some incredible blocking from Liz Barry, Reka Diem and Kate Hanrahan they began to take control and took the second set 25-12. 

This seemed to take the air out of the sails of the Naas girls and it was Aer Lingus who raced to a 16-3 lead in the 3rd set.  However, the Naas team, which is predominately made up of players on the Irish Squad made a spirited comeback and pushed the Aer Lingus team all the way in the 3rd set.  The final score 25-18 did not reflect the Aer Lingus dominance at the start of the set or the Naas fight back at the end of the set.  But as seen in previous matches when their backs are against the wall, the Aer Lingus ladies have a fantastic ability to lift their game and pull away from the opposition.

The 4th set was again filled with some fantastic volleyball and the crowd that was present were treated to a game of high standard volleyball.  The score was tit for tat in the 4th set, however again it was the experience of the Aer Lingus team and in particular the hitting and blocking of Liz Barry that saw the Aer Lingus ladies over the line and clinch a 5th premier league title 25-16.

The Team this year consisted of Rebecca, Jenny, Sinead, Tara, Kate, Liz, Noya, Regina, Reka, Edel, Caroline & Eva.

On behalf of all the members in our Club I would like to take this opportunity to extend many congratulations to all the team & Coaches Adam & Rebecca for all their hard work and another fantastic league campaign. Our PL play BMP in the Assoc Cup on Wednesday night 7th March in Ballymun and we wish them the very best of luck.

PM Sun 4^th Mar

Munster Thunder 1 – 3  Aer Lingus

Result 25-18, 21-25, 21-25, 15-25

The lads had a poor start in the 1^st set, losing 18-25. Changed it around in the 2^nd sets by starting strongly and stay in control of the set by forcing them to make a lot of unforced errors, winning 25 -21. In the 3^rd set, again started strongly, excellent play from both teams with strong hitting and good defense, Aer Lingus finished out with 25-21. Dominated the 4^th set with good serving and going on to win comfortably 25-15.  Overall it was a strong performance by our lads and they can now look forward to meeting Amber Coast in the Assoc this Sunday in ALSAA at 3.00pm.

Sun 4^th Mar In Tallaght

Tallaght Rockets 3 - 0 AL Hawks

Result 25-21, 25-15, 25-19

Our Division 1L Hawks played a very strong top of table Tallaght Rockets who are unbeaten this season and are now destined for the Premier League next season having won the D1L League. Tallaght started strong and went into the lead but our girls fought hard and were within 4 points of Tallaght in the 1^st set. Hawks had a poor start to the 2^nd set and could not get out of one rotation with Tallaght clocking up 8 points in a row. After that Hawks settled down and played some good volleyball at times. Tallaght went on to take the 2^nd set with some strong defense & attack. In the 3^rd set Aer Lingus were again under pressure and the experience of the Tallaght girls showed as they closed out the set 25-19 and the game 3-0.  Our girls played well and fought hard at times but Tallaght proved to too strong in the end. Best for Hawks on the day were Edel & Romy. The team consisted of Edel Finn, Patrycja Frach, Ali Peacocke, Romy Paust, Franziska Weissman, Liga Rusmane, Kira Hauptmann and Anna Hobza. The girls can now look forward to meeting DVC in a few weeks time and hopefully reproducing their best form..

D1M Harriers forthcoming matches

This Fri 9^th Mar V UCD in ALSAA at 8.00pm

Next Tue 13^th Mar v Maynooth in ALSAA at 8.30pm

Sun 25^th Mar V BMP in ALSAA at 3.30pm

Bowling Night Is this Wednesday 7^th Mar in ALSAA at 8.45pm. Please let me know soonest if you are available.

CODE of ETHICS COURSE – There are Code of Ethics Awareness courses still available, please see VAI website for details.

Many congratulations to our Premier Ladies on winning the Premier League for the 5^th year in a row with still 3 games to play. After beating Santry 3-0 on Sunday our Ladies cannot be caught at this stage and will be crowned League Champions in April. A fantastic achievement by any standards, I don’t think this has ever been achieved before in the history of Irish Volleyball, many congratulations to all the girls and coaches Adam Wong and Rebecca.

Match Report

Sun 26^th Feb in Artane

Santry 0 – 3 Aer Lingus

Result 13-25, 25-27, 17-25

Our Premier Ladies started strongly and dominated the 1^st set going on to win comfortably 25-13. The 2^nd set was a very close affair and was nip & tuck all the way. Santry looked like taking the set being a few points ahead 23-21 but Aer Lingus fought back well to level at 25 all and eventually go on to take the 2^nd set 27-25. Santry felt like they had lost their big chance and in the 3^rd set Aer Lingus were in control once again with some very strong attacking and defense. The result was never now in doubt and our girls closed out the set strongly to win 25-17 and the match 3-0. The coaches & girls were jubilant having now won the Premier League for the 5^th year in a row. Our PL are away to Naas this Sat and best of luck and hopefully another win.

The Team this year consisted of Rebecca, Jenny, Sinead, Tara, Kate, Liz, Noya, Regina, Reka, Edel, Caroline & Eva.

On behalf of all the members in our Club I would like to take this opportunity to extend many congratulations to all the team & Coaches Adam & Rebecca for all their hard work and another fantastic league campaign. They have won 11 League games out of 11 and have only dropped 3 sets all season. A fabulous achievement.

Premier Men

UCD 3 -0 Aer Lingus

25-23, 25-21, 25-22

Overall the match was very tight. Aer Lingus lead for most of the first set and held a strong advantage late in the set driven by some strong attacking and excellent defence.  Just when it seemed that the set was won UCD served strongly to hold and close out the set 26-24 (I think that was the final score).UCD started strongly in the second set and ran into a strong lead surging to an 8 point gap at the second technical time out.  This was again driven by strong serving.  Despite this gap the team did not give up and rallied to closing the gap to 23-20 but ran out of road and eventually lost the set 25-21.The 3rd set was close the whole way through with Aer Lingus ahead at the second technical time out only for UCD to come back and lead 20-18.  The lads struggled to pull back this gap and with some tough 50/50 calls eventually lost by three points. Overall it was a good game with great defence in particular from Aer Lingus.  The team generally showed good heart throughout and lost out in the margins where UCD were slightly more consistent. Our lads are away to Munster Thunder this Sun and we wish them all the very best and hopefully back to winning ways.

Div 1 Ladies

Santry 3 – 2 AL Hawks

Result 19-25, 25-23, 25-22, 11-25, 15-7

Our Division 1L Hawks missing a few key players on the day lost 3-2 to Santry on Sunday in Artane. In a hard fought contest Aer Lingus played some of their best volleyball of the season at times and looked like they would take the victory on the day. Hawks played steady in the 1^st set and went on to a comfortable win 25-19. They were leading in the 2^nd set and looked like going 2-0 up but Santry clawed it back to take the set 25-23. In the 3^rd set again it was very close but with some unforced errors Hawks gave Santry the advantage and they went on to take the 3^rd set 25-22. In the 4^th set our girls played their best volleyball with some great attacking from Ali, Romy, Edel & Franziska they were in complete control from start to finish and went on to win 25-11. At this stage Hawks looked like the team to take the 5^th set but unfortunately Santry did not read the script and started very well in the 5^th set. Our girls could not get going and with all the luck going Santry’s way & some unforced errors from our girls Santry were 8-4 up at the changeover. Santry were now in control and their greater experience showed as they closed the set out 15-7 to take the game 3-2. Our girls were very deflated and disappointed as victory looked to be in sight after a great 4^th set but as we all know volleyball can be cruel sport at times and the game can swing very easily. The team consisted of Edel Finn, Patrycja Frach, Ali Peacocke, Romy Paust, Franziska Weissman, Liga Rusmane and Anna Hobza. The girls can now look forward to producing their best form against Tallaght next Sunday away.

Bowling Night Is Deferred to Next Wednesday due to a Tournament in ALSAA Bowl. So now Wednesday 7^th Mar at 8.45pm. Please let me know soonest if you are available.

CODE of ETHICS COURSE – There are Code of Ethics Awareness courses still available, please see VAI website for details.

Limerick

Munster Thunder 1 – 3 AL Harriers 26-24, 31-33, 19-25, 15-25

Our Division 1M Harriers had a great 3-1 win against Munster Thunder in Limerick on Sunday. Harriers started well and went in to a strong lead and at 22-17 looked like they would take the 1^st set. However with some errors on our side and good attacking Limerick clawed it back to go on to take the set 26-24. The 2^nd set was a tight affair all the way with both sides playing some great volleyball. It finally ended 33-31 to Harriers after a few nervous minutes at the end. In the 3rd set Harriers were dominant and playing their best volleyball of the match with both Peter Piecek and Andrew Goti in great attacking form. Again in the 4^th set Aer Lingus were totally dominant having taken the wind out of the sails of Munster Thunder they went on to take the set 25-15 and the match 3-0. Harriers are now playing their best volleyball of the season and can now look forward to taking on the top teams in BMP & KVC in the next number of weeks and hopefully taking some big scalps. Best for Harriers on the day were Andrew and Peter. The team consisted of Peter Piecek, Anthony Nguyen, Chris Vinzons, Deepack, Greg Kaczmarek, Piotr Perzynski, Andrew Goti & Michal Wolczyk. Our lads can now look forward to meeting Maynooth on 26^th February where we expect another good performance and hopefully another good win.

Cork

Cork 3 – 0 AL Hawks

Result 25-21, 25-13, 25-21

Our Division 1L Hawks team lost 3-0 to Cork who are in 2^nd place in the Division. Cork started well and dominated the 1^st half of the 1^st set. Hawks made a comeback to within 2 points to 22-20 but unfortunately it was not enough with Cork closing out the set 25-22. Again Cork started strongly in the 2^nd set and Hawks were under pressure from some big serves and good attacking from Cork. The Rebels continued their fine form going on to take the set 25-13. In the 3^rd set Aer Lingus started to regain their confidence and it was nip & tuck throughout in the 1^st half of the 3^rd set. Cork however again took the lead and went to take the set 25-21 and the match. Although our girls played well at times the unforced errors were too high against a Cork side which were strong in both defense and attack. There was a total of 21 balls hit out and on top of service errors it gave Cork the imitative in the game and hence the 3-0 victory. While are girls played very well for parts of the game their inconsistent play was the real problem. This division is a very tough Division with no easy games and our girls go away in the knowledge that the difference between winning and losing can be small issues including consistency and unforced errors. However we are optimistic that Hawks will regain their good form for the Santry match on 26^th Feb and reproduce their very good performances of earlier in the season and in training. Best for Hawks on the day were Kira and Franziska. The team consisted of Suzanne Donnelly, Edel Finn, Patrycja Frach, Ali Peacocke, Franziska Weissman, Kira Hauptmann and Anna Hobza.

Bowling Night to be arranged for Wednesday 29th Feb for 8.45pm. Please let me know soonest if you are available.

CODE of ETHICS COURSE – There are Code of Ethics Awareness courses still available, please see VAI website for details. Anybody who did a course in the last few months please forward their Certificate you to the VAI & myself.

Fri 3^rd Feb ALSAA

AL Harriers 3 – 1 Tallaght Rockets 25-23, 25-14, 23-25, 25-17

Our Division 1M Harriers had a great 3-1 win against Tallaght Rockets last night in ALSAA. Harriers started well and went in to a strong lead but Tallaght fought back but in the end our lads closed out the set 25-23. In the 2^nd set Harriers were totally dominant and playing their best volleyball of the match. With setter Anthony playing on song & leading the way our attackers Andrew, both Peters, Greg & Chris were at their best to which Tallaght had no answer, our lads going on to win 25-14.

But volleyball is a strange game and Tallaght were not finished yet. Our lads were 22-16 up in the 3^rd set and the game looked all over but due to errors on our side and a steely defense & attack by Tallaght they clawed their way back to 23-23 and snatched the set 25-23.

Coach Gerry “had a few words” you might say and our lads went out fired up in the 4^th set and the result never looked in doubt with our lads going on to win 25-16 and to win the match 3-1. Our lads were delighted with the result and to be back on their winning ways.

Best for Harriers were Andrew, both Peter’s and setter Anthony.  The team consisted of Peter Piecek, Anthony Nguyen, Chris Vinzons, Deepack, Greg Kaczmarek, Piotr Perzynski and Andrew Goti. Our lads can now look forward to meeting Munster Thunder in Limerick next Sunday 12^th Feb where we expect another great performance and hopefully another good win.

Tue 31st Jan ALSAA

Aerlingus Premier Ladies V's Santry

Results 3:0 25-16, 25-18, 25-16 

Tuesday night saw a very intriguing affair between Aer Lingus Premier Ladies and Santry VC.  Santry VC are now coached by Mark Delahunty who previously coached the Aer Lingus ladies so if any team was going to beat the reigning champions, it could possibly be this team.    

Both teams got off to a tentative start but it was the Aer Lingus ladies that settled down first and they managed to take the first set 25-16 with some strong hitting from their middles and excellent blocking from their offsides. 

The second set got off to a flyer for the Aer Lingus ladies; racing to an 8-0 lead and it was looking ominous for a while until the Santry ladies made a fight back towards the end of the set.  However the gap was just too large to make up and the Aer Lingus ladies took it 25-18. 

The final set followed a similiar pattern and ultimately had the same result, Aer Lingus taking it 25-16. The standard of volleyball played by both teams was extremely high and it took the best performance of the season from the Aer Lingus girls to beat their local rivals. 

Due to scheduling the rematch will take place in Artane in 3 weeks time and is sure to be another game of high standard volleyball. Our girls are still unbeaten in the league and are looking favourites to win same with both Santry & DVC having both lost 3 games trailing behind.

Sun 29^th Jan ALSAA

Aer Lingus Premier Ladies V's UCD

Results 3:0 25-14, 25-18, 25-22

UCD travelled to ALSAA on Sunday morning to face the Aer Lingus Premier ladies.  The northsiders started strongly and took an early lead through some strong serving from Rebecca Drummond.  UCD really struggled to get into any rhythm in the first set and ended up losing it 25-14.  The game plan of serving tough seemed to reap it's rewards again with Aer Lingus racing to an 8-1 lead at the start of the second set.  UCD did come back into the game a little but Aer Lingus proved too strong and took the second set 25-18.In the 3rd set, Aer Lingus again got off to a great start however this time the come back from UCD was much more sustained and it was the southsiders that reached the 2nd technical time-out on top.  Through some strong hitting from Lyndsey Condell UCD managed to take a substantial lead, 22-15, into the final moments of the set.  However this seemed to spur on the champs and through some amazing serving from Noemi Kunick the Aer Lingus ladies fought back to win the final set 25-22.  It was an awesome turnaround for the team and shows their never say die attitude to every point.  They now face Santry in their next game in what will be a potential league decider.

Division 1 Ladies

AL Hawks 0 – 3 Newbridge

Result: 16-25, 21-25, 19-25

Our Division 1L Hawks team lost 3-0 to a very strong Newbridge on Sunday. Newbridge who were relegated from the premier division had a great defence and pick up everything our girls threw at them. Newbridge started well and were in control in the 1^st set going on to win 25-16. In the 2^nd set Hawks rallied and looked like they could take the set but Newbridge wing and back court attacking proved to be the difference on the day. Overall Newbridge were very consistent and steady throughout and did not allow Aer Lingus to get into the game. Hawks played very well at times but the unforced errors on receive of service, attacking & serving let them down and they could not re-produce their best form. The team consisted of Suzanne Donnelly, Edel Finn, Patrycja Frach, Ali Peacocke, Anna Hobza, Romy Paust, Liga Rusmane, Franziska Weissman, Kira Hauptmann. Best on the day for Aer Lingus was Edel, Suzanne and Libro Anna. Hawks travel to Cork Rebels on Sat 11^th Feb and hopefully their will produce their very best volleyball against the Lee siders.

Premier Men     

Aer Lingus  3 – 1 Amber Coast  

Result: 25-14, 25-11, 24-26, 25-15

Our Premier men beat Amber Coast 3-1 in an up and down game in ALSAA Aer Lingus started strong going into the lead and taking the 1^st set 25-14. A similar pattern in the 2^nd set when our lads were always in control and went on to take the 2^nd set 25-11. It looked like a 3-0 result but Amber Coast did not read the script and gave a very spirited performance in the 3^rd set pushing Aer Lingus all the way and finally going on to take the set 26-24. Our lads rallied in the 4^th set and were always in control going on to take the set 25-15 and the match 3-1. As UCD lost to Munster Thunder at the weekend Aer Lingus & BMP having lost 1 game to date look like they may battle it out for the league. Our lads have a big match against UCD on 26^th Feb and this could prove to be a very important match indeed with a win hopefully on the cards for our lads.

Garda 3 – 1 AL Harriers

Result 25-22, 22-25, 32-30, 25-12

Our Division 1M Harriers lost 3-1 to a 2^nd place team Garda on Sat last in Tallaght. The 1^st set was very close with both teams taking the lead at various stages. Garda proved the strongest going on to take he 1^st set 25-22. In the 2^nd set Aer Lingus played much better with new recruit Andrew Goti scoring some great points and proving to be a handful for Garda. Harriers went on to win the set 25-22. The game was won & lost in the 3^rd set which finished 32-30 to Garda. Unfortunately our lads had 5 opportunities to close out the set but could not put Garda away. This was the longest set of the match with Garda just edging out 32-30 in the end. Our lads were now deflated and with only 6 players and no Subs Garda took a commanding lead in the 4^th set and the set and game never looked in doubt. Overall it was a very disappointing performance as our lads went away knowing they were the better team but could not produce it on the day. The team consisted of Peter Piecek, Greg Kaczmarek,, Piotr Perzynski Anthony Nguyen, Sergey Babachi & Andrew Goti.

Sun 22nd Jan in Galway

Galway Girls 3 – 0 AL Hawks

Result 25-17, 25-17, 25-14

Our Division 1L Hawks team lost 3-0 to Galway who proved too strong for our girls on the day. Hawks started well in the 1^st set but Galway clawed the points back and took control in the 2^nd half of the set with very strong attacking from the wing. A similar pattern occurred in the 2^nd set with Aer Lingus going ahead and looking in control but Galway had a number of players in great form and our girls found it difficult to defend against these very strong players. Aer Lingus lost both sets 25-17. In the 3^rd set Galway took an early lead and always looked in control and went on to win the game 3-0. Missing our libro Player Anna was also a factor in this performance as our defense found it hard to manage the strong Galway attack. Our girls were disappointed with their performance as they knew they could have played better considering the beat Galway 3-0 in Oct in ALSAA. Best for Aer lingus was Ali, Suzanne & Patycja. The team consisted of Suzanne Donnelly, Edel Finn, Patrycja Frach, Ali Peacocke, Romy Paust, Liga Rusmane, Franziska Weissman & Kira Hauptmann.

Happy New Year to all and we hope you had a lovely Christmas and break.

Good news at the weekend with both our Premier teams winning while D1L & D1M had a free weekend.

Sun 8^TH Jan

Premier Men     

DVC 0 - 3 Aer Lingus 17-25, 22-25, 15-25 

PM – Our Premier men had a comfortable 3-0 win against DVC and the result never looked in doubt. Aer Lingus started strong going into the lead and taking the 1^st set 25-17. A spirited DVC fought very hard in the 2^nd set pushing our lads most of the way. But our PM closed strongly and went on to win the 2^nd set 25-22. Aer lingus were now always in control with DVC having no answer to our lads strong attacking and going on to take the final set 25-15. Aer Lingus PM, BMP & UCD are now all on top of the league having lost 1 match each. This makes for a very interesting 2^nd half of the season with still all to play for and with Aer Lingus hopefully coming out on top.

Premier Ladies     

Aer Lingus 3 – 0 Munster Thunder   25-11, 25-15, 25-9

PL - Aer Lingus Premier ladies faced Munster Thunder in their first game of 2012 and they got off to a great start with some strong serving from Regina Halpin.  This was obviously part of the game plan by Aer Lingus and it certainly reaped its rewards with Aer Lingus racing through the first set and taking it 25-11.

In the second set Munster Thunder began to get a handle on some of the servers and started strongly, by the time the second technical timeout was called Munster were trailing 16-11.  However the newcomers to the Premier division struggled a little with the injection of pace by the Aer Lingus team and the set ended 25-15 in favour of the Dublin side.  This seemed to take the air out of the sails of the Munster Team, as Aer Lingus went on to take the 3rd set 25-9.  Aer Lingus continue on their winning streak and will face Trinity in their next game.

See   http://www.volleyballireland.com/competitions/ for National League Tables

CONGRATUALATIONS – Many congratulations to Inta Cepta from our D1L who had a new baby girl Nicole in December.

Club Mixed Blitz on Tue 20th Dec

The Club Mixed Blitz took place on Tue 20^th Dec with over 20 people involved. It was a great success and thoroughly enjoyed by all. It was followed by Christmas drink & finger food in the bar which went down a treat.

Bowling Night to be arranged the end of Jan or early Feb

UCD BLITZ – The annual Tournament will be held in UCD from the 3rd to the 5th of February.

The next available Code of Ethics Awareness course is on Wednesday, January 18^th 2012 from 6.30 to 9.45pm in Clondalkin Leisure Centre.

Division 1 Ladies

Sun 15^th Jan    UCD v Aer Lingus Hawks - Warm up at 12 O'Clock

Sun 22nd Jan Galway Girls v Aer Lingus Hawks - Warm up at 12 O'Clock

Sun 29th Jan    Aer Lingus Hawks v Newbridge - Warm up at 1pm

Premier Ladies

Sun 22^nd Jan   TCD v Aer Lingus - Warm up at 12 O'Clock

Sun 29th Jan    Aer Lingus v  UCD - Warm up at 11am

Premier Men

Sun 29th Jan    Aer Lingus v  Amber Coast - Warm up at 3pm

Division 1 Men

Sat 28th Jan     Garda v Aer Lingus Harriers – Warm up at 10.30am

The very best of luck to all our teams in their forthcoming matches.

PL     Aer Lingus  3 – 0 DVC   25-23, 25-22, 25-20

Aer Lingus Ladies and DVC have finished 1st and 2nd respectively in the Premier league for the last 4 seasons so when they met in ALSAA yesterday the stage was set for a top of the table battle. DVC started strongly and raced to an early lead however the experience and patience of the Aer Lingus ladies shone through and they finished the brightest to take a very tight 1st set. A similar pattern continued in the second set with Dublin leading 8-3 at the first technical time out. however some strong blocking from Kate Hanrahan and middle hitting from Liz Barry and Reka Deim and the tables finally turned and it was Aer Lingus who finished strongly to take the second set. This seemed to take the air out of the wings of the DVC ladies and Aer Lingus pulled clear to take the 3rd set quite convincingly. The result leaves Aer Lingus at the top of the table while the fortunes of Dublin have changed slightly this year, their 3rd loss leaves them 3rd in the table behind Santry.

Tues 20th Dec

Christmas Gathering & Club Mixed Blitz next Tue 20^th Dec from 7.45pm to 9.40pm This promises to be a great night for all. As part of our Christmas festivities all 4 teams in the club will be combined to make up a number of teams in a mixed blitz.

The teams will comprise of PM, PL, D1m & D1L players, each game will be 1 set of about 15-18 minutes duration.

Going to bar afterwards for Christmas drink, finger food, & craic from 9.45pm till close.

ALSAA Sun 8^th Jan

PL – Aer Lingus v Munster Thunder

Warm up at 1.00pm

 D1M – AL Harriers V Tallaght Rockets

Match now deferred at request of T/Rkts to Fri 3rd Feb,Warm up 7.45pm match start 8.15pm.

  DVC Sun 8^th Jan

PM –  DVC v Aer Lingus

Warm up at 18.45pm

  UCD Sun 15^th Jan

D1L –  UCD V Aer Lingus Hawks v DVC

Warm up at 11.00am

Our PL remain unbeaten and look like the team to beat again this year. Our PM will no doubt be back to their winning ways after their surprise defeat to UCD on Sunday. Hawks are looking forward to the UCD match and hopefully another win, and Harriers are looking forward to a great 2^nd half of the season.

The very best of luck to all our teams in their forthcoming matches.

D1L –  Aer Lingus Hawks v DVC

Warm up at 11.00am

PL – Aer Lingus v DVC

Warm up at 1.00pm

PM –  Aer Lingus v UCD

Warm up at 3.00pm

Away in Ballymun

D1M –  Ballymun Patriots V Aer Lingus Harriers

Away - Warm up at 3.00am

As part of enhancing the social activities within the club we will have a Club Mixed Blitz on 20th December in ALSAA.

In agreement with all the coaches all the 4 teams in the club will be combined to make up a number of teams in a mixed blitz.

The teams will comprise of PM, PL, D1m & D1L players. Each game will be 1 set of about 15-18 minutes duration.

Going to bar afterwards for drinks & craic.

D1L    Aer Lingus Hawks 0 – 3 Tallaght Rockets 17-25, 22-25, 21-25

D1L Hawks – Our Division 1L Hawks team lost 3-0 to a very strong Tallaght Rockets side yesterday. Aer Lingus had a poor start and Tallaght Rockets took the a commanding lead in the 1^st set. Our girls finally settled down but unfortunately the gap was too great and Tallaght Rockets went on to take the first set 25-17. Hawks played their best volleyball in the 2^nd set and were leading the Tallaght most of the way and looked good to take the set. But Tallaght experience and depth showed and they fought back to reduce the Aer Lingus lead and go on to take the 2^nd set 25-22. This was a body blow for our girls and although they fought hard in the 3^rd set and played some great volleyball the unforced errors and inconsistency proved the difference in between the teams. But in fairness most of the Tallaght players played premier before and our girls can go away with the knowledge that they can beat them on the return leg run if they can pay consistent and good volleyball throughout. The team consisted of Suzanne Donnelly, Edel Finn, Rachel Hauenstein, Patrycja Frach, Ali Peacocke, Romy Paust, Anna Hobza, Franziska Weissman & Liga Rusmane. Their next game is Sun 11^th Dec in ALSAA at 11am against DVC where we expect a very good performance and hopefully a win for Hawks

Bowling Night last Weds 16^th Nov

The bowling night proved to be another great success with lots of fun and craic all round.

1^st game was Highest Score and 2^nd game was Lowest Score.

The 2^nd game was great fun as getting the lowest score proved to be tricky with many a strike instead (with the barriers up you could not throw down the gulley).

Sun 6^TH Nov

D1M     UCD 1 – 3 Aer Lingus Harriers  

25-20, 23-25, 17-25, 17-25

D1M Harriers – Our Division 1M Harriers had another fantastic win against a strongly fancied UCD side in Belfield yesterday. Our lads had a poor first set and UCD took the initiative and dominated the set. Harriers never settled and their high number of unforced errors contributed greatly to UCD taking the 1^st set 25-20. UCD started well in the 2^nd set are were ahead until our lads finally got going and pulled them back and eventually going on to win this crucial set 25-23. In the 3^rd set Harriers were now playing their best volleyball with Chris Vinzons on fire playing opposite. Our lads dominated the set from start to finish and with some very good team defense and great attacking in the front court went on to win the 3^rd set 25-17. In the 4^th set it was much the same with Aer Lingus well in control and Chris & Peter on top form in attack. Harriers with the winning post in sight were focused and in control went on to take the final set 25-17 and the match. Chris Vinzons just back from injury had a fantastic game and was man of the match being unstoppable in attack. Peter had another great game and really got going in the 3^rd & 4^th sets with some great attacking. Anthony as setter had his best game to date. Our lads were jubilant at the end and with 3 wins out of 4 they can look forward to a great season ahead with nothing to fear from any of the other D1M teams. The team consisted of Peter Piecek, Gerry White, Deepak, Greg Kaczmarek, Michal Wolczyk, Piotr Perzynski, Eugene Chervonenko, Akos Dunai, Anthony Nguyen. Chris Vinzons and Piotr Kozlowski. Our lads can now look forward to meeting KVC next Friday in ALSAA and hopefully another good win.

SOCIAL ACTIVITIES/GATHERINGS

Bowling Night this Weds 16^th Nov

Date: Wednesday 16^th Nov

Venue: ALSAA Bowl

Time: Meeting at 8.50pm for kick off at 9.00pm (As we have to sort out the teams and get our bowling shoes).

Bowling: 9.00pm to 10.00pm

This is part of enhancing the social activities within the club and to welcome all our new members we have organised a Bowling Night in ALSAA next Wednesday. It will be great night of fun and laughter and if you have no played bowling before no worries as most club members do not bowl.

There with be 2 games of mixed teams.

1^st game – Team Highest Score

2^nd game - Team Lowest Score (10 points if it goes down the gulley).

Cost €8 per person.

Afterwards we will adjourn to the bar for a drink and to present some prizes and a bit of craic.

If you are interested please let your Team Rep or me know by latest Tuesday (verbally, by email or by text). I will then make out the teams for Wednesday night.

Looking forward to a great night and seeing you there.

Please note the new alcohol limits of 50 mgs and that 1 drink and/or pint may put you over the limit. So a coffee or soft drink might prove to be best.  

FORTHCOMING MATCHES

Friday 18^th Nov

·         D1M –  Aer Lingus Harriers v KVC

Warm up at 8.15pm

Next MATCHES in ALSAA on Sun 27^th Nov

ALSAA

· D1L – Aer Lingus Hawks v Tallaght Rockets

Warm up at 11.00am

· PM – Aer Lingus v Munster Thunder

Warm up at 1.00pm

· PL – Aer Lingus v Naas Cobras

Warm up at 3.00pm

Mon 28^th Nov in Artane Recreation Centre

· PL – Aer Lingus v Santry

Warm up at 8.00pm

Our PL have two big matches in a row against Naas Cobras & Santry while our PM meet old rivals Munster Thunder, with both teams hoping to keep their unbeaten run to date.

The very best of luck to all our teams in their forthcoming matches.

We have the highs and lows of volleyball in ALSAA on Sunday with our D1M Harriers beating NUIM Maynooth 3-1 while our D1L lost 3-1 to Santry.

Sun 6^TH Nov

D1M     Aer Lingus Harriers 3 - 1 NUIM Maynooth

22-25, 25-17, 25-15, 25-15

D1L Aer Lingus Hawks 1 – 3 Santry

21-25, 17-25, 25-19, 22-25

D1L Hawks – Our Division 1L Hawks team lost 3-1 to a very determined and focused Santry side on Sunday. Our girls started very well and were 20-14 up and looking good for the 1^st set. But Santry did not give up and rallied with some very good defense and attacking and pulled level at 21 all and eventually going on to take the set. Our girls did not take their opportunities to close out the set and were very deflated after the 1^st set. It showed it the 2^nd set as Santry were always in control going on to take it 25-17. Our girls rallied in the 3^rd set and completely dominated the set from start to finish playing their best volleyball of the match winning 25-19. All was looking good in the 4^th set also with Aer Lingus 22-19 up and looking favourities to take the set. However Santry did not read our script of the match going to the final and 5^th set as they served 6 points in a row to take the set 25-22. Ours girls were devastated knowing they had let the game slip away and should have won 3-1 instead of losing 3-1. Santry were excellent in defense and never gave up and this proved to be the difference in the teams. A bitter lesson for our girls but hopefully it will stand to them in future games and they will close out those important sets. Patrycja had another excellent game for Hawks with some great setting & defense throughout. Also our libero player Anna Kobza had an excellent game throughout. The team consisted of Suzanne Donnelly, Edel Finn, Rachel Hauenstein, Patrycja Frach, Anna Hobza, Romy Paust and Ali Peacocke. Although disappointed after Sunday the girls can now look forward to meeting Tallaght Rockets on 27^th Nov in ALSAA where we expect a very good performance throughout.

See http://www.volleyballireland.com/competitions/ for National League tables

Please note the new alcohol limits of 50 mgs and that 1 drink and/or pint may put you over the limit. So a coffee or soft drink might prove to be best.  

• Bowling Night in ALSAA in Nov – Date TBC
• After Training Get Together - Also again as part of social interaction among members/teams we would encourage players to Get Together in the Bar on Tuesday’s and Friday’s after training for a cup of coffee, soft drink or a glass of beer. It is an opportunity to mix with new players & old and have a good time. 

•  Other Social Activities – We will be looking at organizing other social events within the club throughout the year. If anybody has any thoughts on this please let me know.

FORTHCOMING MATCHES

Next Weekend

• D1M away to UCD Sun 13^th Nov

Warm up 2.30pm

Friday 18^th Nov

·         D1M –  Aer Lingus Harriers v KVC

Warm up at 8.15pm

Next MATCHES in ALSAA on Sun 27^th Nov

ALSAA

·         D1L –  Aer Lingus Hawks v Tallaght Rockets

Warm up at 11.00am

·         PM –  Aer Lingus v Munster Thunder

Warm up at 1.00pm

·         PL – Aer Lingus v Naas Cobras

Warm up at 3.00pm

Mon 28^th Nov in Artane Recreation Centre

·         PL – Aer Lingus v Santry

Warm up at 8.00pm

Our PL have two big matches in a row against Naas Cobras & Santry while our PM meet old rivals Munster Thunder, with both teams hoping to keep their unbeaten run to date.

The very best of luck to all our teams in their forthcoming matches.

Our club had a great day in ALSAA yesterday with our Premier Ladies & Div 1 Men winning and Div 1 Ladies playing really well but losing out to a strong Rebels team from Cork.

Sun 23rd October

PL       Aer Lingus 3 – 1 Ballymun Patriots

Div 1 Ladies

Aer Lingus Hawks 0 – 3 Rebels

20-25, 20-25, 18-25

D1L Hawks – Our Division 1L Hawks team lost 3-0 to a very strong Rebels team from Cork yesterday. The first 2 sets were very close with Rebels showing their strength and depth pulling away to win 25-20 in both. Hawks played some great volleyball and showed huge improvement from their last game but the Cork team defense proved to be superior to Aer Lingus. Our girls fought hard throughout the game and showed great spirit and determination but lack of consistency in both attack and defense proved to be the difference on the day with Rebels going on to win 3-0. However Rebels are a very good team and they will be in the shake up for the League Title this season. So overall the girls can be proud that they gave Rebels a very good game and they can look forward to further improvement and some more great volleyball this season. Patrycja had another excellent game for Hawks with some great setting & defense throughout. The team consisted of Suzanne Donnelly, Edel Finn, Rachel Hauenstein, Patrycja Frach, Jannie Ruiter, Eva Fuentes, Ali Peacocke and new comer Liga Rusmane. Although disappointed after yesterday the girls can now look forward to meeting Santry on 6^th Nov where we expect a very good performance and hopefully their 2^nd win in the league.

As part of enhancing the social activities within the club and to welcome all our new members we have organised a Bowling Night in ALSAA next Wednesday. It will be great night of fun and laughter and if you have no played bowling before no worries as most club members do not bowl.

• Bowling Night in ALSAA in Nov – Date TBC

·         After Training Get Together - Also again as part of social interaction among members/teams we would encourage players to Get Together in the Bar on Tuesday’s and Friday’s after training for a cup of coffee, soft drink or a glass of beer. To mix with new players & old and have a good time.

·         Other Social Activities – We will be looking at organizing other social events within the club throughout the year. If anybody has any thoughts on this please let me know.

OTHER NEWS 

New Members

We extend a very warm welcome to Edel Nolan from Claremorris in Mayo who has just joined our PL team.

Hi All,

As you are aware last weekend the Ireland v Scotland Ladies International match took place in UCD on Sunday. There was a huge amount of preparation, planning and training to get to this stage and the Ladies Squad management team all from Aer Lingus club were responsible for same.  The weekend was deemed a huge success from the organisation point of view but sadly the Irish team lost 3-2 to Scotland on the day. But a huge congratulations to all the management team for all the hard work and planning and organisation as the weekend went off with a hitch. Mark as head coach along with assistant coaches Rebecca and Tara have spent many months and a huge amount of time and effort in getting the Irish squad ready for this weekend. And also to Team Manager Liz Barry who organised all events, accommodation, transport, food and all the other logistics throughout the weekend. The whole (Aer Lingus) Management Team can be very proud of their selves and on behalf of the club I would like to take the opportunity to congratulate them all on a great weekend and all their hard work and efforts over those many months. A well deserved rest to all and in particular to Liz (the sleepless nights are over at last).

• Ladies Squad Management Team

Mark Delahunty Head Coach

Rebecca Drummond Asst Coach

Tara Dawson Asst Coach

Liz Barry Team Mgr

On Saturday Aer Lingus Premier Ladies  play the Scottish Team in a friendly and beat them 2-0. Many congratulations to our girls on a fantastic performance and it just shows the strength and depth of our Premier Ladies  team who have had huge success over the last number of years in League and Championship. Craig Faill the Head Coach of Scotlands Senior Women’s National Team Programme wrote in his match report "Aer Lingus have been reigning Champions for many years and they have been together for all that time. No-one can really compete with them in Ireland." high praise for our Premier Ladies Team

• Aer Lingus V Scotland Match Report

Last Saturday our Premier Ladies took on Scotland in a 2 set training game during Scotland’s build up to the International match on Sunday against Ireland. It was a closely fought game from the outset, with Scotland attacking hard and taking an early lead. Our ladies soon battled back with some great defending and intelligent attacking, followed up by some strong serving. Scotland made some crucial serving errors which resulted in our ladies taking the first set 25-18. The second set Scotland again took an early lead and with their top 6 players all on court, they were starting to show their true ability. Again with some outstanding defending and great serving our ladies kept their composure and fought back to even the score and eventually take the set 25-20.

Aer Lingus PL Team: Liz Barry, Tara Dawson, Reka, Sinead, Eva, Noya, Rebecca and Jenny.  

•  Ireland v Scotland Match Report

The Irish Senior Ladies Volleyball Team took on their Scottish equivalent in a one-off International match last Sunday 16th October in UCD Belfield. The atmosphere was exciting with an excellent crowd behind the Irish Ladies as they headed into their first major International match in 18 months. Both teams are working towards the European Small Countries Tournament, held every two years, the next one in May 2012.  From the outset it was clear that this was going to be a closely fought match and the crowd weren’t disappointed. The opening set began point for point before Scotland took an early lead. Ireland then began to gather some momentum and turned the game around in the later part of the set, going on to win it 27-25. Sets 2 and 3 were dominated by Scotland and Ireland struggled to deal with their deceptive setting and strong attacking, losing them 25-15 and 25-17.  Set 4 was a different story, Ireland came to life again with some strong serving and intelligent wing attacking by Anita Dowling which put Scotland under a lot of pressure and caused several errors by the Scots. Ireland went on to take the fourth set and back to level peggings. The 5^th set was all one-sided with Scotland taking an early lead and never losing it, eventually taking the set 15-6, much to a delighted Scotland team and a disappointed Irish team and crowd.  MVP of the match was the Scottish setter Number 14 Elaine Krawczyk. 

Aer Lingus players on Irish Ladies Squad, Regina NihAlpin and Edel Nolan.

See Scotlands match Reprt http://www.scottishvolleyball.org/news/2011-10-18-swntp-first-term-report-card

PM Aer Lingus 3 - 1 Ballymun Patriots

Aer Lingus PM - Our lads got off to a flying start beating old rivals Ballymun Patriots 3-1 in a close and tough match yesterday. Our lads won the first set, they won the second, we won the last two sets. The PM had only 6 players due to players being unavailable or not being registered in time (Jeff King, Pawel Waszkiewicz, Radek Janora, Jonathan Whitty, Derric Kania, Kieran Moran). Despite this we fought very hard. The lads lost the 2nd set due to a breakdown in our service receive, however, a tactical change of putting Radek through the wing (instead of opposite) to allow him to pass the majority of balls with Jeff (along with new player Pawel Waszkiewicz supporting) paid huge dividends. The 1st ball improved allowing for a much stronger attack. Derric Kania hit very well through position 4 in his first full match. With both teams missing some keys players yesterday due to the early player registration date set by the VAI the return match should be a classic when both teams are up to full strength. Our two Premier Men’s teams from last season have joined forces this season and we expect that they will be in the shake up for the PM League Title this season battling it out with Munster Thunder, Ballymun and UCD

PL Aer Lingus  3 -  0 TCD

Aer Lingus PL – Our PL girls had a convincing 3-0 win over TCD. Although TCD battled hard and played very well in the first set they were no match for the overall power and level of attack from our girls. The girls wore down TCD putting them under constant pressure from the serve right through to attack. With a bigger and stronger panel of players than ever this year our girls will be going for that 5 IN A ROW LEAGUE TITLES. This would be an absolutely fantastic achievement. The very best of luck to former coach Mark Delahunty who won the 4 in a row and as he was looking for a new challenge he has decided to coach Santry this season. Adam Wong will be the new coach for our Premier Ladies team and he brings great experience having co-coached the Bermuda Ladies National Team for 4 years and then the Bermuda Men's National Team for 2 years. On behalf of all the club members I would like to welcome Adam to Aer Lingus and hope he enjoys his time with us and wish him and the girls every success in the season ahead. So all in all the PL division should be very interesting and exciting this year with 3 to 4 teams looking to take that top spot i.e. Aer Lingus, Santry, DVC with possibly NAAS or UCD all in the running

D1L Aer Lingus Hawks 3 - 0 Galway Girls

 D1L Hawks – Our newly promoted Division 1L Hawks team had a fantastic start to the season and beat well fancied Galway 3-0 in ALSAA yesterday. Our girls started slowing with Galway taking an 8 point lead in the first set. After the nervous start our girls settled down and began their come back playing some great volleyball and went on to take the first set 25-23. In the 2^nd set Hawks totally dominated with some fantastic defense, setting and attacking throughout they won 25-13. In the 3^rd set our girls again got off to a very good start and were well in control but Galway made a comeback making the last set a little too close for comfort. But Hawks went on to take the 3^rd set 25-22 and to beat Galwayfor the 1^st time ever. So overall it was a fantastic team performance with Setter Patrycja in brilliant form and Anna having a fantastic day as Libero. And with Suzanne, Evija, Romy, Rachel, Jannie and Eva also in top form there was only going to be one result in this match. Hawks are well and truly back in division 1 where they belong and can look forward to a great season ahead. They will be battling to be in the top 3 or 4 places in the league with very strong opposition from Rebels from Cork, Newbridge, DVC and Tallaght Rockets.