Volleyball
16 July, 2026
Heat celebrate anniversary with double wins
Horsham Heat’s men’s and women’s sides made it a day to remember on Saturday, July 11, winning both games against Heidelberg to help commemorate the 50th anniversary of Volleyball Horsham.
As a result of the win, Horsham took home the inaugural Santamaria/Berry Shield, in honour of Tomas Santamaria’s contribution to volleyball and of making Heidelberg one of the premier clubs in Victoria.
The round 13 Victorian Volleyball League fixture started off with the men’s side winning their morning game 25-20, 18-25, 25-11, 25-19.
A tougher game ensued in the afternoon, with the Heat coming back from two sets down to win 23-25, 19-25, 25-15, 25-19, 20-18.
The women’s side continued their standout season, comfortably winning both of their matches in straight sets, meaning they now have an 11-1 record for the season.
The Heat defeated Heidelberg 25-20, 25-18, 25-8 in game one before prevailing 25-13, 25-15, 28-26 in their evening rematch.
Volleyball Horsham president David Berry was proud of the men’s side's performances, highlighting their five-set win as a sign of their growth through the season.
“The boys won the first game in four sets, which was great, and then they were 2-0 down and won in five in the second game,” he said.
“The beauty about it was that the game was level at 14-14, then at 15, 16, 17 and 18, and were able to win those last two points.
“It showed how far they have come because they've lost those five-setters previously.
Berry credited the men’s coaching staff for their work managing the side’s big roster.
“It’s rare to have all 16 members turn up, particularly when only 14 can play,” Berry said.
“Rotating your players, how to get them in and out of the game is a learning curve, particularly with the evenness of the roster under the three experienced players in Noah Werry, Oscar Jackman and Dimitrios Vettos.
“To be able to manage that as they continue to learn, full credit goes to them.”
As the women’s team’s coach, Berry acknowledged that finding the right balance between experience and development was difficult in their matches against Heidelberg, particularly as they consider finals next month.
“Heidelberg has a history of producing young talent, and with the composition of their club, they've got teams and sometimes two teams in just about every division, so you never quite know exactly what's going to turn up,” he said.
“I would have liked to have given everyone more court time, but as it turned out, I have to get miles into Molly Carter's legs, because Molly is still finding her way and is slowly getting to back to her best.
“She proved that in the second game when the third set tied up and it was Molly was the one that stepped up.
“I’ve also got to get miles into Eadie Garth-Lindsay, Bonnie Grieger and Lucinda Ferguson, so I’ve got to give them more court time than normal.
“It’s going to be a juggling act right through to the end of the season to make sure we get the younger ones exposed and the older ones managed accordingly so they are at full fitness come finals.”
Asked about the 50th anniversary celebration, Berry hopes the greats of the past inspired the current generation of players.
“I think they got a greater appreciation of exactly what those older players and participants actually achieved,” he said.
“Hopefully they will continue to try and emulate the deeds of those before them and carry their legacy forward as well.”