At the halfway point of the Volleyball Horsham summer season, the competition for places inside the top four has intensified as teams have started to find its groove.
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In A grade, Rangers survived another scare, this time from Heidelberg, in one of the games of the season last week, to record a gutsy win and remain undefeated on top of the ladder.
Rangers' big guns Tyler Puls and Jack Hannan had to call on all their experience to register their win, with only two sets completed in the time allowed.
The Rangers' "high risk, high reward" game saw them win two sets to love 25-20, 30-28, with the second set alone lasted over 30 minutes.
Although Rangers sit comfortably on top of the ladder, even at this early stage, the gap between them and the rest of the competition is closing, meaning anyone can make the four.
The same could be said for the B grade ladder leaders HTLC Tigers.
A hard-fought win over Heidelberg sees the students from HTLC sitting comfortably on top of the ladder.
Still, the competition is closing in fast as could be seen by Phantoms Blue's points win over Luke McCallum's Maccas Malakas.
New player Adel slipped in nicely to the Phantoms Blue lineup, and he was responsible for winning a lot of points for his team.
Jack Kelly's HTLC Tigers Junior A boys' team is the other clear ladder leader, undefeated on top, but the rest of the competition is in a fight for the remaining spots in the four.
All junior players benefit from consistent court time and improve as each week goes by.
In the A Reserve, Women's, Junior B and C grade divisions, competition for spots in the finals is on in earnest, as no team can confidently lay claim to their position in the four at present.
With five games remaining, all teams will be out to play its best and earn wins in order to qualify as high as possible come finals time.
Phantoms
The first phase of the Premier League season is now complete, with Phantoms Premier One men finishing in third place in their pool, Premier One women fourth, and Premier Two men also third.
The draw resets with crossover games awaiting.
Phantoms premier teams will sit back and rest this weekend
waiting patiently for what the next phase of the draw holds.
Phantoms SL2 women have enjoyed a solid first phase in the State League competition.
It registered four wins and two losses, while the SL1 men lost another five-setter on the weekend, leaving its record at two wins and four losses.
The SL2 men enjoyed a bye after recording their first win of the season last round.
Ararat competition
The success of the Anzac Day Challenge between Volleyball Horsham and Ararat Volleyball will see a sequel being staged on Sunday, May 26, in Ararat.
The Ararat crew are keen to see the rematch and host what promises to be another day of fast-paced volleyball at the spacious Ararat Fitness Centre.
