Drop in Focus Halts GVK's Progress Against Top League Teams

November 4, 2014

A Welcome Return

Stina Lindstam is back after a long sickness: "I want to play"

GISLAVED | A glimmer of light in the darkness disease. Stina Lindstam is training with Gislaved VK again. “I am tired of rest,” she says.

“What a block she has!” Lars Englund sitting and enjoying in Gisle Sportcenter. “And she has been gone for two months. Unbelievable.”

"She" is Stina Lindstam. And it is in front of the sports chief’s eye that she performs her first workout with GVK in a very, very long time. In just over seven weeks, her life has been filled with diseases instead of looking for volleyball. Lung inflammation. And on top of the two infections.

“It's been frustrating. I have not even got to go walking because it was too cold outside. But trying to be positive though.”

How did you think it went today?
“It was fun to play, but I felt bad. Not like it was before. But at the same time one can not expect that it will be good right away.”

With sickness absence, she has not yet had time to play a single minute of elite series volleyball this season. If all goes as she pleases, however, it will change it when the team is set against Hylte/Halmstad on Wednesday evening.

“I want to play,” she says with bright eyes, “But I do not know if I'm good enough yet.”

You yearn to play, huh?
“A lot. It's so sad to be home. And I will interact on more movies to watch.”

Are you completely healthy now?
“I cannot know for sure. I have been sick since last summer. But I hope it's fine now.”

November 5, 2014

Woke up late - fell again

GVK finished well, but failed to score against Hylte/Halmstad

Final Score: Hylte/Halmstad 3, Gislaved 0: 21-25, 17-25, 24-26

HYLTE | When did it run out? When the home team, Hylte/Halmstad, led 14-10 in the third set and looked to be pulling away to another victory. Then the GVK-machine started to tag along.

Block game worked. Attacks hit the floor. A few balls later it was 24-24 on the scoreboard. Could the GVK team manage to force the match to a fourth set? No. GVK woke up too late and Hylte/Halmstad won the match 3-0. Just as before.

“It got better in the third set,” says Emma Petersson. “We knew that we had nothing to lose. We didn’t have that pressure earlier in the match either, but it was finally time to go for it in the third. We should have started [like this] in the first set.”

Explanation?
“It felt good before the game ... but they were good. They pressured us in the serve and we were not able to respond.”

GVK did not make it. Until the fine finishing, as in all cases, gave something positive to take from Örnahallen, Hylte/Halmstad was clearly better team. The first set ended 25-21. Other 25-17. “They are really good. But we can beat them,” says Emma Petersson. “Too bad we did not really wake up early.”

November 6, 2014

Hylte/Halmstad continues as an undefeated ghost

Halloween is over, but Hylte/Halmstad continues to haunt Gislaved VK.

“Another loss,” sighs Dick Runesson.

VOLLEYBALL | It is October 30, 2013. Hylte/Halmstad down GVK 3-0 home in Örnahallen. "They blew us off the court today" commented Dick Runesson, meeting then.

Twelve months later, GVK failed to turn the tide and get back onto the court. Three Elite Series meetings have been played against rivals from Hylte/Halmstad. All three have resulted in a GVK loss. Most recently on Wednesday night.

“Considering the team they have, they mash us,” says Dick Runesson.

Was not that exactly what happened? The match took 71 minutes.
“Perhaps they did. In the second set, I can agree with you. But I say that we showed heart, fought hard, struggled and played at our level.”

Gislaved’s head coach tries to find the right formula. “We do not really have the weight and the security of our attacking play that Hylte has. That was where we dropped matched,” he says, and turns his gaze forward.

The next meeting is set for January 18.

“We know how to play to beat them. And next time, we'll take them.”

Meghan Sherman (6) serves against Hylte/Halmstad

IMPACT PLAYERS//GVK

BEST ATTACKER: Meghan Sherman, 9 kills

BEST SERVER: Jollan Åkerlund, 4 aces

BEST BLOCKER: 3 players recorded 1 block each

BEST RECEIVER: Amanda Länkinen, 72%

MVP: Meghan Sherman

IMPACT PLAYERS//HYLTE-HALMSTAD

BEST ATTACKER: Christina Alessi, 13 kills

BEST SERVER: Jonna Wasserfaller, 4 aces

BEST BLOCKER: Jonna Wasserfaller and Daniele Kovacs de Lima, 3 blocks each

BEST RECEIVER: Daniele Kovacs de Lima, 89%

MVP: Christina Alessi

November 9, 2014

GVK falls at Lindesberg

Final Score: Lindesberg 3, Gislaved 0: 11-25, 24-26, 17-25

LINDESBERG | Gislaved did not have much defense against Lindesberg Volley.

Lindesberg Volley entered the match with 4-straight wins and great confidence. It became no less nor that they completely ran over the visiting Gislaved. The last-ranked GVK had no chance but fell 3-0 in sets, a quick victory that fit Linde amidst the tight schedule.

“Yes, absolutely, it's super important to us. Now we have matches on both Wednesday and Saturday, so this worked well for us to prepare” admits Lindesberg coach Johan Isacsson.

Lindesberg started the game very strong and also got good help from the opposition. Gislaved stood for their own series of mistakes in the first set, where Isacsson believes that his team more or less just needed to tip the ball over the net. When the team crossed the 20-point line was the line up for over ten points and we finally won with 25-11.

In set two, Gislaved came out more prepared, which meant a big change for Lindesberg. After high drama, Lindesberg eventually won 26-24.

Lisa Tannerfalk (9) and Meghan Sherman (6) block against Lindesberg

IMPACT PLAYERS//GVK

BEST ATTACKER: Sanna Schultz and Emma Petersson, 5 kills each

BEST SERVER: Meghan Sherman, 2 aces

BEST BLOCKER: Jollan Åkerlund and Lisa Tannerfalk, 1 block each

BEST RECEIVER: Amanda Länkinen, 71%

MVP: Mikaela Larsson

IMPACT PLAYERS//LINDESBERG

BEST ATTACKER: Marjorie Giordano, 13 kills

BEST SERVER: Rebekah Gustavsson, 3 aces

BEST BLOCKER: Evelina Frank, 5 blocks

BEST RECEIVER: Nette Peit, 65%

MVP: Evelina Frank