Seventeen mixed volleyball teams took part in the third Volleyball Fun Festival organised lately by the Malta Volleyball Association at the Cottonera Sports Complex. This activity, which lasted around four hours, with over 100 players playing on the three courts set up for this event, was the third one organised this season to give the opportunity to existing and forthcoming volleyball players to take part in an activity without the stress deriving from taking part in the local competitions.
The simple regulations for this activity, with all teams having a minimum of three female players on court at all times, only one National player per team, as well as ‘relaxed’ volleyball rules, meant that all players could enjoy this activity without having to deal with strict technical and tactical regulations. After all, the important factor in these activities is that everybody has fun whilst playing volleyball.
This time round, the 17 teams taking part were divided into three sections, Expert, Intermediate and Beginners. The Expert section was made up of five teams with players who more or less are already familiar with the game of volleyball, with most players already taking part in the local competitions. The Beginners’ class was reserved for teams with players who are either new to the game or else with basic knowledge, whilst the Intermediate section comprised teams made up of both.
DPP were clearly the stronger side in the Expert category, winning all their matches and finishing in top spot. However the situation behind them was more complicated, with Birkirkara Blondes, Birkirkara Jesters and Phoenix finishing with the same number of points in second place. Following a number of playoff matches, Phoenix managed to qualify for the final against DPP, with the latter winning it 15-8.
The intermediate section saw six teams battling it out from the start of the activity till the very end. Flyers Depiro and GIFT were slightly better than the others, although they still suffered a defeat each in the round robin group, with GIFT winning their direct encounter. However Flyers Depiro turned the tables around in the final match, beating GIFT 15-5 to end up as worthy winners in this section.
Another six teams took part in the beginners’ section. Joy Red won all their matches, although they had to fight hard for every point, with Mellieha A finishing in second place, after losing only one match against the winners, 11-15. Joy White ended up in third place.
The next Volley Fun Festival is earmarked for Saturday 10 April at the Cottonera Sports Complex. One can get more information by contacting the organisers on [email protected] or 79810810.