Bliss for Mote as Australia earn first win

After nine-long playdates in Rimini, Australia were rewarded with a blissful win in tie-break to pick up their first victory in the 2021 FIVB Volleyball Nations League against their AVC rivals Iran on Tuesday.

Iran had a strong start, but Australia showed great determination and succeeded to snatch the lead and the opening set win. The Australians carried their momentum into the second set for a 2-0 advantage. However, the Iranians responded with two set victories to level the match.

The match could have gone either way in the tiebreaker, but the Australian team held their composure down the final stretch even when Iran were in the lead and turned a possible loss into a blissful 15-12 win.

“Winning in five is symbolic of all the effort we have been putting day in and day out from the players to the staff. Iran came back, but we were able to bring it back in the last set. We will enjoy this victory very much,” said Australia captain Nehemiah Mote on the outcome of their toughest match at the VNL.

“In the third set it was 21-22 and we had a perfect reception and we should have sided-out. That gave Iran momentum and a bit of confidence and we were very unfortunate not to win this set. But to lose the third set and then come back, hold on and win in five is a testament to the attitude of everyone in the Australian jersey.”

Mote highlighted team effort as the key to the victory.

“Everyone in the team had a piece in the win. Thomas Douglas-Powell came back from injury and he brought some energy, then a couple of young guys started and held their own. It was a team effort. No one stood out and it had to be like that to win.”

Their three-day break helped them prepare and execute their game plan for Week 4.

“We prepared well and our scouting team and coaching staff provided us with a concise game plan. We followed that to a T. We will look to capitalise on this great feeling because last week we fell short against teams we should have beaten. But this win is just awesome.”

“VNL is a very difficult tournament and every team is strong. For us, with our experience and new coaching staff and management, we are just very happy with this win. This game showed us that we could matchup with the best in the world. It’s a great confidence boost.

“We have the belief, we have done it today, we will fight to replicate tomorrow and beyond.”