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Sunday, November 22, 2015

Relief in Gislaved

After four straight losses, Gislaved VK takes a win.


GVK-coach Daniel Magnusson leaned against the bleachers.

He could afford to relax a little.

Finally?

"This is wonderful. We are incredibly pleased. We've been so close," says Magnusson after 3-0 victory (25-19, 29-27, 26-24) against Amager from Denmark.

GVK has believed in themselves. Now everyone else gets their proof.

Gislaved can win in the Öresund League.

"We received a confirmation that we are on the right path. The girls believe in each other, they think of us as a team and I believe in them and know that we have put in the effort. We have tried to look at what we can develop and not just to look at what does not work, points-wise."

Against Amager, the home team attacked with a more varied offense, both in the center and on the edges.

And when the win hangs in the balance, the team showed that they believe in their game.

"It was a step forward."

And when the team took a step backwards, Magnusson reminded them what to do.

At the end of the third and final set, the team trailed 20-21, and it looked like they were on the verge of a loss.

Then head coach Daniel Magnusson took a time out:

"We talked about that we must dare to win. We can not wait for their mistakes. We must take upon ourselves a winning attitude."

It does not sound easy, but that was how it looked.

Right after the timeout the team stepped back on the court and dared to win. They went for the victory, believed in it and closed the match.

"We are so good that we can do that, but the challenge is to do it more often. If we continue to evolve, we are a team that can go far."

At the end of each set, GVK stepped back and decided to win. Especially Hanna Salomäki.

"She was really good today. We make some good substitutions, who also did a great match."

It was a real team victory.

But Jessika Lakatos and Meghan Sherman deserve additional praise. The latter especially; she played with a foot injury.

"It does not show much now, but tonight just may have been the key." Magnusson smiled.

Sunday, November 15, 2015

Here Continues GVK's Negative Trend: 4-Straight Losses

After a decent start to the Elite Series can not Gislaveds volleyball girls to recognize.
On Saturday came fourth straight loss.

"Frustrating, of course," says coach Daniel Magnusson after 1-3 away against Lindesberg.

Lindesberg-Gislaved 3-1 (25-13, 19-25, 25-23, 25-23)
Hanna Salomäki and Lisa Tannerfalk block against Lindesberg

In front of 223 people in the small northern-metropolis, the visiting team stole the first point of the opening set.

Then Lindesberg served up a 6-1 lead, which quickly became 12-3, and ended with a crushing 25-13 for the home team.

"They played just like we had expected, but Lindesberg has more experience in the squad and probably thought little more of victory than we seemed to do, and could explain why the match went as it went," says GVK-coach Daniel Magnusson.

Second set was much more balanced, and Gislaved won 25-19.

"In the third set, we led for a while up to 17-9 but then we made some mistakes and gave Lindesberg another chance, that led them into some good rotations and they had good plays. Those drops won't work in tight games, you have to win every ball," says Daniel Magnusson.

Saturday's fourth set was a gruesome battle where the two teams were tied 23-23, but then GVK lost by 23-25.

"We must go back to basics, be patient and continue working. I think we could have won this match, given that Lindesberg was just above us in the table," says Daniel Magnusson.

The visiting team's Dutch outside Ester De Vries, led all GVK players with 23 points, which was ten better than the team's second best, Finnish Hanna Salomäki. Both have proved to be wise acquisitions.

"Ester did a good job and scored well when we needed her to, exactly what we expect from her in matches. But even if we lost, it was great to see the girls help themselves and dare in the game. We may have an uphill battle now but I'm sure it turns around," says Daniel.

"Of course you get a blow to your confidence when we have four straight losses, but for me it is important to find happiness into the team again, motivate the girls and work together something good in our future because we have, without a doubt, great potential," he says.

Gislaved is free from elitserien play until 3 December, when they meet visiting team Svedala.

"But we play at home in the Öresund League on Saturday when we meet Danish Amager VK," says coach Daniel Magnusson.


STAT LEADERS

POINT LEADER Ester de Vries 23 points
BLOCK LEADER Ester de Vries 4 blocks
SERVE LEADER Mathilda Carlsson 2 aces

Friday, November 13, 2015

VN Interview: Lisa Tannerfalk

Studying to be a nurse, moonlighting as a nurse assistant, all while playing elitserien volleyball.
"I have more time now than before."
She is the player who has been Gislaved faithful.




Växjö-grown Lisa Tannerfalk is currently in her sixth season with Gislaved Volleybollklubb, a club she did not think she'd stay in.

"I thought, this hole one can not live in," she says, laughing. "But I took it one year at a time and it felt so amazingly good."

Now, the "dungeon" has become a home for Lisa Tannerfalk. She found love, stopped studying in Linköping and continued in GVK. Instead, she continued her studies in Jönköping, along with a little moonlighting as a nurse for a home for elderly suffering from dementia.

"I have been a nurse assistant for a long time. It's pretty handy with volleyball. I wanted to feel that I was done with volleyball before I started studying, but I never felt ready to stop playing. So I jumped on education. It was a bit messy."

Despite three pursuits she had even more hectic past.

"This is really something I started last fall. I worked extra last year at the post office, too. So I am old postman. But I have more time now than when I worked at the post office."

"Anything can work if you want. I study one hundred percent and to work extra as part-time, is maybe unnecessary. But it works well, you learn structure. One must take advantage of the little time you have."

She has started the season well. She is the third most effective blocker, and the fifth most efficient attacker in the whole league so far, with six games played in the league.

"It's not my best year so far," she says as she points out that she is not looking at statistics.

"But the block has always been my strength. This year, I have talked a lot with Meghan (Sherman), she thinks it's fun to use the middle attack. We had a talk before the season in which she said: "You are a good blocker but we'll get you a good attacker, too." Well, maybe I should be, I thought. Haha. It's funny, I never thought that I could help the team that way. It has been the block that I have focused most on."

"But I check the statistics for the fun of it. But it is the team effort that I focus most on. Plus and minus can, however, be relevant, if you win your game in the match."

On Saturday they face Lindesberg. It hopes Tannerfalk be the beginning of the climb.

"The victories will come. The only question is when. I hope it starts on Saturday and we're doing a really good match. We feel that it is time to pick up some points!"