Canberra Heat v NSW Phoenix
Lyneham Hockey Centre ACT
Women: Heat d Phoenix 5:0 (18-13, 18-13, 18-17, 18-7, 18-14)

Canberra Heat remained in touch with the top end of the competition ladder following an emphatic five set victory over NSW Phoenix in Canberra.

Coming into the round in last place, Canberra leapt from six to 17 competition points, just four points from the top of the ladder and in third place overall.

The Heat looked comfortable in the opening two sets but were challenged in the third which went right down to the 35th point. After the locals secured victory, they put down the accelerator
and eyed off a bonus point which they achieved by outscoring NSW by 26 points.

While the result keeps Canberra in the top four, the Phoenix face a must-win match next week if they hope to remain in the race for the semi-finals.

“I felt we played really well today,” said Heat outside hitter Holly Mallet. “I think our blockers did a good job at drawing the middle blocker. There was a seam in the block so I felt like I just went for that seam every time, so it was kind of a team effort to get me the kill.”

Men: Heat d Phoenix 4:1 (18-10, 18-17, 18-15, 17-18, 18-17)

Canberra Heat remain in third place in the men’s competition after their 4:1 result against NSW Phoenix on Saturday.

Having led 2:1 last week before going down to the Vipers, Canberra were keen to stamp their authority on the match and did that from the start with an eight-point victory in the opening set.

Despite the lopsided scoreboard at the end, the match was a hard, close-fought affair with just four points separating the two sides over the next four sets.

The result keeps Canberra firmly in finals contention, while Phoenix need to win next week to keep their top four aspirations alive.

Both teams are on the road in round four with Canberra taking on the Storm in Adelaide and Phoenix meeting traditional rivals Queensland in Brisbane.

Make sure you tune in this Sunday to watch our Phoenix as they take on the Queensland Pirates - Super League Volleyball | Cluch.TV