Steel Men Too Good for Vipers in Semi Final

The Perth Steel have won their way through to the 2023 Scape Australian Volleyball Super League Men’s Gold Medal match after defeating the Melbourne Vipers 3-0 in their Semi Final at Red Energy Arena in Bendigo.

Some big early plays by the Viper’s Paul Sanderson and the Steel’s Tom Heptinstall saw the teams trade blows and stay level point-for-point to be 11-11. Calling their first PowerPlay, Perth took advantage and pulled away, but the Vipers called theirs after two lost rallies and managed to take enough points to level the scores back up at 15-15. The next three points all went to the Steel, though, allowing them to take the first set 18-15.

The second set followed a similar pattern to the first as the Steel had answers for every question posed by the Vipers, staying one or two points ahead throughout to claim the set by the same score as the first, 18-15, and putting them just one set away from securing a spot in the Final.

Desperate to turn the match around, the Vipers produced a stirring comeback in the third set, calling their PowerPlay at 7-9 and winning two of their three next rally points to open up a five point lead and give them a glimmer of hope. But Perth would not go away or concede, and dragged the score back to 17-17, forcing the need to win the set by two points due to the rule variation for the finals series.

Heptinstall and Ky Landers stepped up to help secure the final two points, and the match, for Perth 19-17, sending the Steel into the Gold Medal match on Sunday.