Volleyball World Expo 15 - IC Thread [QF Cutoff: 3 January]

[Quebec and Shingoryeo]

Cutoff, Matchday 11

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Group A

Abanhfleft (12)                     22  25  23  25  15
Cassadaigua (04)                    25  16  25  19  13

West Barrack and East Obama (UR)    25  18  17
Græntfjall (06)                     27  25  25

Huayramarca (22)                    25  25  22  25
Macbon (UR)                         20  23  25  15

Aquatin (UR)                        11  12  17
United Adaikes (14)                 25  25  25

Banija (19)                         16  25  19  26   5
Lisander (24)                       25  22  25  24  15

Dod Rava (UR)                       20  20  15
Quebec and Shingoryeo (02)          25  25  25

#   Group A                    PLD W   L   SW  SL  SQ       PW  PL   PQ     PTS
1   Graintfjall                 11 11   0   33   8  4.125   983	803  1.224   32
2   Cassadaigua                 11  8   3   27  13  2.077   909	832  1.093   24
3   Abanhfleft                  11  8   3   28  15  1.867   981	847  1.158   23
4   United Adaikes              11  8   3   27  19  1.421  1016 940  1.081   21
5   Quebec and Shingoryeo       11  7   4   27  16  1.688   968	879  1.101   22
6   Huayramarca                 11  6   5   20  20  1.000   888	896  0.991   17
7   Banija                      11  5   6   22  24  0.917   968	986  0.982   16
8   Lisander                    11  5   6   19  26  0.731   910	972  0.936   11
9   West Barrack and East Obama 11  3   8   18  27  0.667   938	1020 0.920   11
10  Dod Rava                    11  3   8   13  28  0.464   827	950  0.871    9
11  Aquatin                     11  2   9   16  29  0.552   895	1009 0.887   10
12  Macbon                      11  0  11    8  33  0.242   812	961  0.845    2
Note: Cassadaigua, Abanhfleft and United Adaikes are all tied in number of wins, so the next tiebreaker employed was points. Cassadaigua finishes second, Abanhfleft third and UAD fourth. Quebec and Shingoryeo has more points but is eliminated from contention due to only having seven wins, as opposed to eight wins by the three above them.

Group B

StrayaRoos (20)                     25  20  24  13
Natanians and Nosts (15)            22  25  26  25

Atheara (26)                        23  25  15  16
Chromatika (07)                     25  14  25  25

Delaclava (UR)                      25  19  22  16
Xanneria (UR)                       19  25  25  25

Juvencus (UR)                       17  24  15
HUElavia (01)                       25  26  25

Pemecutan (10)                      25  12  16  23
Commonwealth of Baker Park (13)     17  25  25  25

Mytanija (03)                       25  25  25
Sannyamathland (UR)                 17  13  11

#   Group B                    PLD   W   L   SW  SL  SQ      PW  PL   PQ    PTS
1   Chromatika                  11 10   1   32  11  2.909   994	829  1.199  30
2   Mytanija                    11  9   2   30  11  2.727   936	772  1.212  26
3   Atheara                     11  8   3   28  17  1.647   985	913  1.079  22
4   Pemecutan                   11  8   3   27  18  1.500   999	890  1.122  22
5   Commonwealth of Baker Park  11  7   4   28  20  1.400  1037	983  1.055  22
6   HUElavia                    11  7   4   25  18  1.389   962	890  1.081  21
7   Natanians and Nosts         11  4   7   19  25  0.760   927	938  0.988  12
8   Xanneria                    11  4   7   17  24  0.708   834	909  0.917  12
9   StrayaRoos                  11  3   8   20  27  0.741   944	1026 0.920  12
10  Delaclava                   11  3   8   15  28  0.536   875	1005 0.871   8
11  Juvencus                    11  2   9   11  31  0.355   827	950  0.871   6
12  Sannyamathland              11  1  10    9  31  0.290   728	943  0.772   5
Note: Atheara and Pemecutan are tied in number of wins and number of points scored. Atheara finishes ahead of Pemecutan by Set Quotient.

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QUARTERFINALS FIXTURE

All the matches will be played in Songak, the nation's largest city and economic capital. IC information will be updated and posted on a separate post sometime between the 30th and the 31st.

Quarterfinals Cutoff will be happening on the 2nd of January.

#A1 Græntfjall vs. #B4 Pemecutan
@ Laurent Ahn Arena, Songak -- 21:30

#A2 Cassadaigua vs. #B3 Atheara
@ Commonwealth Centre, Songak -- 17:00

#B1 Chromatika vs. #A4 United Adaikes
@ Commonwealth Centre, Songak -- 20:00

#B2 Mytanija vs. #A3 Abanhfleft
@ Laurent Ahn Arena, -- 18:30

[Quebec and Shingoryeo]

OOC: The QF fixture and IC info posted here separately. Largely a repost from the VWE-14 due to time constraints.

QUARTERFINALS FIXTURE

All the matches will be played in Songak, the nation's largest city and economic capital. IC information will be updated and posted on a separate post sometime between the 30th and the 31st.

Quarterfinals Cutoff will be happening on the 3rd of January, instead of 2nd, as almost every competition currently happening starts on this day.

#A1 Græntfjall vs. #B4 Pemecutan
@ Laurent Ahn Arena -- 21:30

#A2 Cassadaigua vs. #B3 Atheara
@ Commonwealth Centre -- 17:00

#B1 Chromatika vs. #A4 United Adaikes
@ Commonwealth Centre -- 20:00

#B2 Mytanija vs. #A3 Abanhfleft
@ Laurent Ahn Arena -- 18:30

Songak (Shingoryeoite Korean: 송악, Hanja: 松嶽) is the most populous city in Quebec and Shingoryeo. The city is located on the western end of the Saint-Henri-River with a 2056 population of 8.22 million people. Located in the middle of major shipping routes, and at the intersection of over a dozen expressways and railway lines that transverse across Quebec and Shingoryeo and its neighbours, the city has been long viewed as the strategic and geographical centre of northern Calania.

With a population of 7.45 million people on its city boundaries, and 11.5 million in the Songak province itself, Songak is one of the most populous cities in the SAREMA regions. As one of two major global cities from Quebec and Shingoryeo, Songak is an international centre of commerce and finance, culture, entertainment transport, science and tourism. Considered to be the financial capital of Quebec and the Quebecois Commonwealth, as well as an established location for diasporas and investors of Anglophone world, Songak is often known as the Capital of northern Calania.

The city was founded by King Philippe I on 27 June 1492, and was named after Mount Songak, one of the two mountains located in the middle of the Island of Songak that was named after its equivalent in Gaeseong, Goryeo Dynasty. In Quebec and Shingoryeo, Songak is traditionally associated with the development of the Shingoryeoite nation as a commercial and maritime power of pluralistic influences and communities, one that differentiates from the national capital of Joongyeong, and has been associated with the force of the Shingoryeoite Empire that have lasted between 1734 and 1949. In the past century of the post-imperial period, Songak emerged as the centre of innovation, entrepreneurship, and youth culture, playing into the city's regeneration of and increasing role.

Sure, the 'Blue Smoke' has way too many attractions for a humble being like myself to list from, so I'll only mention a few. The downtown core, where the industrial age buildings lie, hosts many journalism outlets, dozens of smaller museums and two universities (Farrer, widely regarded as one of three top schools, and Iggulden, for its own fine arts and cinema institute). On the west side of the downtown core, which ends on Paddington and Windsor stations on the west end, lies the West District, which has been the home of one of the Multiverse's best theatre scenes in both drama and musical theatres. In the middle lies various financial buildings, the odd ten-story skyscrapers, hotels and a couple of sporting arenas here and there, as well as the Silver Garden, home to the Regimbault and Shingoryeo Symphonies and various railway museums that border the Royal Cross and Saint-Alban's stations. Saint-Alban's station is where international travellers from Semarland and beyond - all the way to or from Baker Park via East or West Transcalanian Railway Line- familiarise himself with. Then, on the east end, lies the famous Arlenia and Koreana West Districts. Home to the past centuries' working class and college students who live in rent-controlled apartments and houses, this was where much of the people's history were discussed, held and executed. With its vibrant nightlife scene on the Arlenia Side of the South and Koreana West District where Jewish-Quebecois and many Quebecois of Commonwealth origins have made their homes after their arrival in late 1800s, the eatery culture is particularly well established there.

Sporting-wise, Songak hosts almost every sports league in the country with at least a franchise, though none is so famous as Montreal Koreana itself. Founded in 1875 as an international Korean-Quebecois organisation that aims to put 'soul and body' in mind with athletics, education and servitude to the Quebecois State and the Crown, National headquarters of the Koreana Society has become one of the nation's two premier pan-sport societies as well. While having a historically famous club branch in almost every sport league, Montreal Koreana has been known as of late for its dominant hockey, men's volleyball and women's basketball programs.

For the course of the playoff stage, there will be 2 arenas used in the city of Songak. The main arena, located in the Koreana District, will be Laurent Ahn Arena, on the northeast side of the city. Home to Montreal Koreana's men's and women's volleyball teams, it is about 15 to 20 minutes drive from Downtown and one to five minutes away from the selected hotel(s).The second arena for the tournament, agreed by the Quebecois Volleyball Federation and the QOVO, will be Commonwealth Centre. Opened in 1972 ahead of the Quebecois Commonwealth Games held in the city, it has been the home to Hochelaga VC, widely regarded as the 'other Songakian team' known for their flashy designs. Located in the Commonwealth Park, it is located about twenty minutes metro ride and half an hour's drive east of Downtown.

[Graintfjall]

It was a decent serve by Naomi Obarma, but in this tournament, ‘decent’ wasn’t proving enough to beat The Green Wall of Pavola. Quebec-based Anney Rómansdóttir, Nyagũthiĩ Wanjirsdóttir who plied her trade in Mytanija, and Skye Hlynsdóttir, still in Græntfjall but possibly not long to remain based on her performance this tournament attracting the attention of international scouts for more prestigious and better paying foreign leagues – all three were proving indomitable. And the team’s leading scorer over the previous two VWE editions, Kormlöð Auðsdóttir, had suddenly come across distinctly dominatble in the grueling five-setter against Quebec, Frostrós Norbertsdóttir had stepped up admirably to take her place. Zeynəb, on as substitute, with the pass – Julia, back to the net, setting it into Nyagũthiĩ’s arc. The long right arm swinging down and spiking hard. The shot caromed off – and through – Nancy Zobama’s despairing fingers and landed in. 25–17, third set; three sets to nil. Græntfjall had just won their 11th game on the bounce. The team gathered round, exchanging high-fives over the heads of Elsa and Torfhildur, who hugged amid the forest of limbs. From the stands, a small group of travelling fans rose to their feet and wolf-howled, but they were quickly drowned out by a blast of Chrono Dreams. The G-pop song had proven popular in Quebec and the organizers played it every time they Net Wolves won: it was steadily racking up the play-count, now at 11. It had become the team’s unofficial anthem, dancing to it every night they headed out to paint the town green in Jongyeong.

But what is G-pop?

G-pop – ‘Græntfjaller pop music’ – is, along with cold weather, Viridian Catholicism, and mild-to-moderate xenophobia, one of the defining features of modern Græntfjall. It has been argued to be Græntfjall’s most successful cultural export: Græntfjaller horror movies do moderately well overseas but literary fiction sales are poor owing to the inaccessibility of the Græntfjaller language and foreign critics’ dislike of all the novels ending with the protagonists being eaten by krakens; within Græntfjall opera and ballet retain their historic appeal but Græntfjaller composers are little known abroad; few Græntfjaller philosophers or writers have a wide international appeal (though the cultural theorist Deníel Seimsson enjoys a niche acclaim among the modern left for his contribution to semiotics, including ‘critical kraken theory’). Græntfjall’s culture, limited by decades of state communist repression, by the hard-headed insularity of its people, and by the innate social conservatism that survived the regime change, does not cast much of a footprint. But go into any bar or nightclub in Rushmore, and perhaps beyond, listen to a pop music radio station or look through streaming mixes, and G-pop is sure to rear its head.

The genre of music most associated with Græntfjall in the general consciousness is metal – so much so that along with neighbors Tikariot, the northwest region of Pavola has been nicknamed “the Metallic Peninsula” as much in reference to musical taste as to the rich rare earth deposits seeded through the land. A common “Græntfjaller joke”* is that the chief responsibility of the Verdir, Græntfjall’s land rangers, is locating metal bands who get lost in the woods having atmospheric photoshoots. With its lush soundscapes that verge into baroque pop sensibilities, upbeat – at times verging on the twee – lyricism, and elaborately colorful outfits and carefully choreographed music videos of its (predominantly female) performers, G-pop marks a stark contrast to the prevailing themes of Græntfjaller metal. And that, both its fans and critics say, is precisely the point.

“Folk music has a strong tradition in Græntfjaller culture, dating all the way backs to the skálds of the mythic sagas,” says music historian Natanael Hlöðversson. “It was heavily regulated under the Union communist regime, seen as a sign of bourgeois nationalism. Folk music became the music of the underground, of protest, of rebellion. And just like, at one time, the communists were the revolutionary upstarts who captured the hearts and minds of young Græntfjallers, but became a decaying and sclerotic corps of oppressors, so the worm turned and the folk music revival that emerged in the early 2000s became too conservative and reactionary for the young people who grew up in free Græntfjall.” With its hostility to incorporating electronic elements or foreign musical influences, Græntfjaller folk-revival struggled to capture the interest of young people, who rebelled against it with hávaða: noise.

“Today, hávaða is mostly associated with metal,” says journalist Kata Evaldsdóttir. It was the name of a hugely influential underground zine in the late 90s, that made the jump to internet bulletin board in the 2000s. Its users embraced metal culture and championed the genre, and launched a sonic attack on the Græntfjaller musical establishment. “But G-pop was just as much an expression of hávaða as metal was,” insists Evaldsdóttir. “For young people who didn’t think music had to be played on acoustic instruments in communal settings with strictly structured rhythmic dancing, to those who’d listened to the pirate radio stations in the Frozen Sea and been influenced by funk and soul, reggae and ska, jazz and blues, the musical diet at home was far too limited. Metal wasn’t the only outlet they found.”

Technical innovations in the booming economy of the ‘Græntfjaller miracle’, as the hyperlibertarian excesses of the Liberal-Conservative Alliance governments gave way to more measured economic growth under centrists governments, also contributed. Musical technologist Númi Aransson credits the FP-288 synthesizer with a key role in G-pop’s development. “The FP-288 wasn’t the first mass-marketed synthesizer available on the Græntfjaller market, but it was definitely the most successful. Previous versions had either been very expensive and only really accessible to established recording studios, or cheap and lacking in functionality. The FP-288 hit at the perfect time when Græntfjallers had more disposable cash to spend but at the same the EPZs [Export Processing Zones] were massively driving down the price of electronic goods. You suddenly had a professional-grade synthesizer available at a price that a teenager with a weekend job could conceivably afford to buy. It led to a burst of creativity.” For Evaldsdóttir, it was the growth of internet use that really made the difference. “By modern standards the FP-288 was relatively limited, possessing only 12 pre-loaded drum patterns. But there were websites like synthbeat.græ where people could upload their own patterns, and then others would download them and use them in their own mixes.”

While traditional guitar/bass/drums ruled in metal circles (accompanied by everything from no vocals in the popular post-metal genre influenced by Ko-orenite imports, through traditional melodic vocals, all the way up to growl and scream vocals) the FP-288 and similar devices allowed bedroom pop musicians the chance to broaden their vocabulary without touching a ‘real’ instrument. “It had a really good reeds mode, all the sax sounds were great,” says Aransson. “The trumpet was notoriously terrible though!” The JO 110, named for Græntfjaller music technology pioneer Jan Oddmarsson, who produced the seminal 2010s dance group Armamoque, generally credited with introducing the ‘big beat’ sound to Græntfjaller EDM, marked a further progression. “The strings on the 110 were the real breakthrough,” says Aransson, who credits the synthesizer for the popularity of synthesized string sounds that characterize many G-pop arrangements.

Sound was only part of the G-pop pallette, though. Its lyrical content also differed sharply from the prevailing trends in metal. “Anti-communism and anti-consumerism, republicanism and anti-monarchism, occultism, religious imagery from Catholicism all the way through to Norse neopaganism, sometimes environmental themes: heavy stuff,” says Evaldsdóttir. “And it wasn’t that G-pop was lightweight, it was just, reflecting different lyrical themes. For young people growing up in increasingly modern, multicultural cities, songs about village life in what were basically neofeudal villages in the snowy mountains weren’t that accessible.” Evaldsdóttir, a passionate defender of G-pop, insists the lyrics, which tend to dwell on relationships, concerns about status and appearance, or express optimism about the future – with science fiction and speculative fiction becoming increasingly strong influences as a new generation who grew up learning Common [English] in schools were able to consume diverse foreign media – are just as depthful as metal lyrics. Hlöðversson is less convinced. “G-pop appeals to the lowest common denominator, eschewing lyrical complexity for the shallow and sugary.”

Also important to the emergence of G-pop as a distinct genre was the aesthetics of its performers, who tended to don elaborately garish outfits including heavy makeup, bright colors and pastels, and stylized dance moves. “You have to consider the cultural context, Græntfjall was a poor country that could barely feed itself,” says Emelíana Líusardóttir, who as eMeLí was the third biggest selling G-pop act of the 2020s (behind Rebecca Robinsdóttir and Arianna Ásmarsdóttir). “Suddenly it was becoming a booming market economy and the kinds of goods that had never been available before were flooding in. To react to all that by dressing up in shabby working clothes and strumming a weatherbeaten acoustic guitar at the folk club, or shapeless black clothing and wandering off into the deep woods to growl about our forefathers, seemed to be completely missing the opportunities of our new freedoms. Our ‘forefathers’ literally couldn’t dress up in bright colors, they were banned from organizing a dance routine together. Everything we did [as G-pop artists] was a statement of liberation.”

Slushy synthpop drivel driven by marketing hype and playing on the sexualization of its (sometimes alarmingly young) performers, or an autochthonous musical development celebrating post-communist freedom of choice and expression and, through its extensive use of sampling, introducing new sounds from around the world to a society that has sometimes struggled to adapt to the multiculturalism demanded of the new century? G-pop’s merits and demerits will continue to inspire fevered debate – but however fiercely that debate rages, there is no sign of the sales slowing down. In contrast to the Græntfjaller tradition of solo singers, be they folk bards or operatic leads, a new trend for girl groups is currently taking the charts by storm, with 9 slots in the top 40 alone owned by just one band, Sæluvíma, whose trance-inspired hit Sprenging á einni nóttu spent 12 weeks in the #1 spot only to be deposed by their own LGB-positive anthem Pride of Unity. And, in Quebec, so long as the Green Wall of Pavola stands firm, Audio Sundown’s Chrono Dreams is likely to keep playing long and loud into the night.

* ‘Græntfjaller jokes’ is a type of humor at Græntfjaller expense that became popular as the country opened up following the fall of communism. Most jokes play on the stereotypes of Græntfjallers as hard-headed if not downright stupid, unyieldingly stubborn, or just big ugly trolls. For example: “Why was the Græntfjaller up a ladder?” “Someone told him drinks were on the house.”

[Abanhfleft]

DISCLAIMER: Gaelic Gamers is an independents sports blogging website created by four cousins with a common liking and passion for sports of all kinds and is in no way or form affiliated with or organized by any official news organization in the Democratic Republic of Abanhfleft. All statements and opinions posted here are our own and not anyone else's.

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Gaelic Gamers
Presents...

The Volleyball Vignettes
with Aisling Keane

I think that’s the end of what the gamers call the “grinding phase” of the Volleyball World Expo. The Abanhfleft women’s volleyball team played to the limits of their abilities and took their knocks, and now the end is finally in sight. We’ve survived for the most part, though we didn’t get through completely unscathed. The likes of Banija, United Adaikes, and Graintfjall left their marks on our girls, but now it’s time to set all of that aside and turn our attention to what comes next. We’re through to the quarterfinals of the Volleyball World Expo, and the team that we will face and have to beat in order to move on into the semis is none other than Mytanija. Now that’s just a sucker punch right into the gut. No wonder a lot of people think that Abanhfleft are cursed to never make it past the first round of a knockout stage in any given competition. If we’re not shooting ourselves in the foot by crapping the bed against a team that’s worse than ours on paper, we’re being thrown right into the thick of things by going up against a team that is literally the third best in world volleyball right now. Don’t let the Man from Markovsky see any of this or else I’m sure he’s going to lose his cool.

But before we begin bemoaning our fate against Mytanija once again, let’s turn our attention to our final game in the group stage for just a moment. Said final game was against the Fillies of Cassadaigua, perhaps the most well-known matriarchy in the multiverse. They are the fourth best volleyball team in the multiverse at this point, and by the time that they went up against our Volleybelles, they had already secured passage into the next round of the Expo. The Dagans were going to finish in second place no matter the result against us, so it would have been understandable for them if they put out their second string to get some game time. On the other hand, it also would have been understandable for the Fillies if they went all in against us in order to claim one more victory for their team for pride or bragging rights or whatever. I mean, that’s pretty much Abanhfleft’s style, whether it’s in volleyball or lacrosse or handball or pretty much any other sport that we’ve played in. If we see a chance to go completely undefeated in the group stage of a competition then by god, we are going to do everything in our power to keep that undefeated record going. What happens after that is a completely different matter, of course, and something that just might happen to us yet again.

However, before we talk about that, let’s take a look at how we fared against the Fillies first. To put it simply, we did a lot better than I thought we actually would. If you all remember, the last time that the Volleybelles went up against a team that was higher than them in the rankings didn’t go so well for them. Graintfjall showed to us and to everyone else that there was a reason why they were heads and shoulders above the rest of Group A, and that was the plain and simple fact that they were just better than us. There’s nothing else that I could add to that except that they really do play like they’re the sixth best team in the Expo rankings. In fact, maybe they actually should get a boost already because they’ve already beaten Cassadaigua before they beat us, and the Fillies are two places above the Graintfjallers as well! But then again, just looking at teams’ rankings is actually a pretty piss-poor way of trying to find out who is actually better. More often than not, the team higher up in the rankings beats the lower-ranked team, but upsets also aren’t completely unheard of. The only problem that Abanhfleft really has with upsets is that we’re not usually the ones dishing those out when we’re the underdogs. We’re also usually on the receiving end of said upsets as well, which makes our situation even more complicated. Shit, I can already hear the Man from Markovsky yelling “Nilrahrarfan!” from his apartment once again.

Our match against Cassadaigua started off exactly as I thought it would, with the team in pink claiming victory in the first set. That was exactly what I expected would happen to the Volleybelles, especially considering that they were still fresh from that heartbreaking loss against Graintfjall. It would have been too easy for our girls to just give up the ghost and let ourselves drop further down the order into fourth place. If that had happened, we would definitely have had a bad time in the lead-up to the quarterfinals since we would have faced another scary team in the form of Group B’s first seed Chromatika. But there was still some hope that we could hang on to third place and maybe give ourselves a bit of an easier ride going into the playoffs, and it was that hope that motivated the Volleybelles in fighting against their fate with regards to Cassadaigua. Sure, it might have ended up backfiring right in our faces anyway, but for the moment we are going to enjoy this victory and we are all going to like it. I think it would be fair to say that it was team captain Alessandra Vallejo who led this Fleftic comeback, or at least the comeback in the second set. She was responsible for a series of spikes that caught the Fillies unawares and put them on the back foot in the second set, allowing us to claim it and bring the game back on and equal footing.

Cassadaigua recovered and claimed the third set, but not without our girls making them fight for every single point in that set. Then in the fourth set, it was Alissa Anthony’s turn to be the leader of the charge of the Volleybelles to equalize in this game yet again. Like Aly Vallejo in the second set, Alissa would use a series of spikes and blocks to constantly keep the Dagans off guard, and though the team in pink managed to make the fourth set a closer thing than it probably actually was, in the end Abanhfleft still managed to clinch set number four anyway, setting the stage for the fifth and final set that would determine the winner of both the Flefts’ and the Dagans’ final group stage match in the 15th Volleyball World Expo. And it was in that fifth set that Abanhfleft’s substitute libero, Anne-Marie delos Reyes took center stage and made sure that the multiverse would never forget her name after this. If it hadn’t been for Anne-Marie’s digs and blocks extending the rallies and giving the Volleybelles more of a chance to actually get a favorable result then this victory probably wouldn’t even have happened. Yes, everyone chipped in and contributed to the final result going our way, but if it hadn’t been for Anne-Marie, there wouldn’t even have been a platform on which this could have happened in the first place.

So that’s the story of how Abanhfleft remained in third place in Group A, hence why we’re going to face Mytanija in the quarterfinals of the Volleyball World Expo. At first glance, things don’t look good at all for our girls. Mytanija are literally the third best volleyball team in the whole of the Expo, and though they do have a couple of losses in this tournament, it still stands to reason that they are going to be a sight better than our Volleybelles when the time comes. Looks like advancement to the next round of these particular playoffs would be a glass ceiling that our ladies would not be able to crack this time around. However, that being said, we have just proven that we are also capable of beating a side that’s better ranked than us. Just look at the result against Cassadaigua. That is the kind of performance that our ladies would need to turn in if we want to continue our charge towards finally winning our very first Expo. Is it a tough ask for our ladies? Yeah, it most probably is. Is the risk of yet another first round elimination for Abanhfleft equal to or greater than the potential reward of actually winning this whole damn thing? Definitely. But do I want our girls to go for it anyway? Oh hell yes! Chances like this don’t come often, especially for the team in blue, orange, and green. And this is literally the best start that our volleyball team has had in the Expo for years. It would be an absolute shame to waste it with a loss to Mytanija, wouldn’t it? Wouldn’t it?

[Quebec and Shingoryeo]

QUARTERFINALS.

Græntfjall (06)         23  25  25  25
Pemecutan (10)          25  12  23  22

Cassadaigua (04)        25  24  25  25
Atheara (26)            21  26  19  16

Chromatika (07)         31  25  26  21  15
United Adaikes (14)     29  18  28  25  10

Mytanija (03)           10  25  14  25  15
Abanhfleft (12)         25  18  25   9   7

5th-8th CLASSIFICATION BRACKET

#B3 Atheara vs. #B4 Pemecutan
@ Commonwealth Centre -- 16:00

#A3 Abanhfleft vs. #A4 United Adaikes
@ Laurent Ahn Arena -- 14:00

SEMIFINALS

#A1 Græntfjall vs. #A2 Cassadaigua
@ Commonwealth Centre -- 20:00

#B1 Chromatika vs. #B2 Mytanija
@ Laurent Ahn Arena -- 18:00

[Abanhfleft]

DISCLAIMER: Gaelic Gamers is an independents sports blogging website created by four cousins with a common liking and passion for sports of all kinds and is in no way or form affiliated with or organized by any official news organization in the Democratic Republic of Abanhfleft. All statements and opinions posted here are our own and not anyone else's.

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Gaelic Gamers
Presents...

The Volleyball Vignettes
with Aisling Keane

Oh my goodness. We were so close to being on the verge of greatness. A successful block here, a more decisive spike there, a service ace somewhere in between, and Abanhfleft could have been in the semifinals of the Volleyball World Expo. Instead, it looks like we’ll just have to settle for fighting in the classification bracket instead. Mytanija was just too big of a road block for us to surmount and surpass, and now our Volleybelles will have to psych themselves up for a match that doesn’t have much actual bearing in the grand scheme of things, but at the very least it will give us volleyball fans something to cheer and think about while we wait for the next Expo to come along and we can see how far we’ve come from now to what is to come next. Maybe we were too ambitious for our own good. Maybe we were aiming for a target a thousand yards away when our equipment is only capable of effectively hitting targets from 600 yards. In any case, we lost against Mytanija and there’s nothing more that we can do about it. But there is still something that we could do, and that is to make ourselves the fifth best team in the 15th Volleyball World Expo.

Mytanija really had us fooled, I’m not gonna lie. They really made us think that we actually had a chance of beating them. I mean, how else could you explain the fact that the Volleybelles managed to take the first set by a score of 25-10, only for the Mytanars to turn things around and surprise us by taking it 25-18? Well, to be fair, it’s not really a surprise when the third best volleyball team in the multiverse wins a particular set, but the truly shocking thing about this is that this came after the aforementioned third best team in the multiverse was surprised by a team nine places below them in the rankings. Yeah, I think it’s fair to call a 25-10 result a shock to the system. And it might actually have been the worst thing that our girls could have gone because it shocked Mytanija into realizing that they had grown complacent against us, and thus it was time for them to step up their game or else they were going to be the ones who would have to fight to claim to be the fifth best volleyball team in the world. Neither one of Abanhfleft or Mytanija really want to do that, but at the end of the day, there was only one team that could move on into the semifinals, and unfortunately for us, Mytanija just wanted it more than our girls.

We might have won the third set, but as it turned out, it was actually just our girls delaying the inevitable. Mytanija had been woken up by that close call in the first set, and they were most definitely not going to set us aside the next time that we met them. Someone on that team must have decided that today was going to be the last day that the Mytanars would come close to losing a set by single digits, and at the same time they were going to make sure that the other team was going to lose every single remaining set left in the match while only scoring single digits. It’s kind of a disproportionate retribution, but then again, we are Abanhfleft. The sporting gods will always think that it’s a good idea for our opponents to commit disproportionate retribution on us. The sporting gods take pride in enjoying the misery of Fleftic fans, and the only reason why we’ve somehow managed to win titles in lacrosse, baseball, and rugby is because the sporting gods forgot to keep an eye on us. I mean, can they keep forgetting about us a little bit more? Because sports really is more enjoyable when you can’t tell what’s going to happen next, and unfortunately for Abanhfleft, that’s not really the case. We all know that when Abanhfleft does well in the group stage, we are going to get stopped in our tracks by whichever team that’s playing against us in the first knockout round, even if it doesn’t make sense at all. Just ask the Man from Markovsky what he thinks of that. (“Nilrahrarfan!”)

Well, looks like there’s no rest at all for the weary. From what I understand of how these things work, the losers of the quarterfinals will have to play against each other for the right to be called the fifth best team in the 15th Volleyball World Expo. The losers from the first two brackets will play against each other, followed by the losers from the other two brackets. The winners of those games will then play for the 5th place trophy while the losers try to settle for 7th. Sounds easy and simple, right? Well, with Abanhfleft, we all know that it’s going to be anything but. Especially when you consider that we’re up against a team that has already beaten us before in this very same competition. Yes, I’m talking about United Adaikes. They were beaten by Chromatika in five sets, with the Chromatiks taking the first two before UAD almost managed to pull off the impossible and beat the higher ranked team in the quarterfinals. It almost seems kind of fishy how the four best volleyball teams still remaining in the competition managed to win all of their games in the quarterfinals. Not a single upset to be found in this tournament, no sir. But our Volleybelles can’t let themselves be distracted by that. All they need to do is focus on United Adaikes and think of nothing else. They may have beaten us before, but we cannot let that happen again. We can’t let that happen again.

[Chromatika]

I don't know anymore.

They say that if we don't turn in a showing, they will stop our league. The only league in the country in our sport. The sport of volleyball that some adore, some odon't know what o do with, and most truly just ignore.

We've topped the group. Now, we're in the semifinals against one of the other big names. We have a chance to make the finals, and that should count as more than enough in most sports.

So, if they don't care, what are we even playing for?

I call you to action, Chromatiks. Shouldn't it be enough for any sport to reach the Semifinals of a world tournament? Truly?

Regardless of what the result is, it should be enough. Try to convince us how it is not so.

No, the spirit moves on. Chromatika isn't done with this sport. It should not end.

Signed,

The Chromatik Volleyball Team

[Graintfjall]

Posted on the In Brief section of the GS SuperSports+ website.

Græntfjall reach first ever VWE semifinals

A 23 point game for Nyagũthiĩ Wanjirsdóttir helped Græntfjall surge past Pemecutan 3–1 in the VWE 15 quarterfinals in Quebec to reach a first ever international volleyball semifinal. The “Green Wall of Pavola” showed a few early cracks to go a set down but rebounded strongly to take the next three. Center Skye Hlynsdóttir had a national record 7 blocks, and there were 17 points for wing Frostrós Norbertsdóttir. Komang Ayu Saraswati scored 17 for Pemecutan. But it was Wanjirsdóttir’s night as the tall, elegant southpaw swatted point after point, including serving three aces. The win means this will be Græntfjall’s most successful ever tournament regardless of the outcome of the game against Cassadaigua, but captain Julia Hartmannsdóttir insisted they were focussed on the “games in front of us, not the history behind us”. Coach Nico Ensiosson surprisingly announced that despite the success he’s brought to the women’s program, credited with drastically improving the record of a fairly weak team with no international history, but also with creating a supportive environment for a diverse team that has broken social, and not just sporting, barriers, this tournament will be his last in charge as he seeks “new opportunities” in the future.

[Quebec and Shingoryeo]

The Penultimate Cutoff!

5th-8th Place Matches

Atheara (26)            25  25  25
Pemecutan (10)          19  22  22

Abanhfleft (12)         25  20  25  13  15
United Adaikes (14)     20  25  22  25  13

Semifinals

Græntfjall (06)         25  25  25
Cassadaigua (04)        16  23  21

Chromatika (07)         25  19  25  21  11
Mytanija (03)           21  25  20  25  15

7th Place Match

Pemecutan vs. United Adaikes
@ Laurent Ahn Arena -- 14:00

5th Place Match

Atheara vs. Abanhfleft
@ Commonwealth Centre -- 16:00

Bronze Medal Match

Cassadaigua vs. Chromatika
@ Laurent Ahn Arena -- 18:00

Gold Medal Match

Græntfjall vs. Mytanija
@ Commonwealth Centre -- 20:00

[Abanhfleft]

DISCLAIMER: Gaelic Gamers is an independents sports blogging website created by four cousins with a common liking and passion for sports of all kinds and is in no way or form affiliated with or organized by any official news organization in the Democratic Republic of Abanhfleft. All statements and opinions posted here are our own and not anyone else's.

---

Gaelic Gamers
Presents...

The Volleyball Vignettes
with Aisling Keane

All right, everyone calm down. It’s not yet over. Trust me, it’s not. There’s still one more game left to play for the Volleybelles of Abanhfleft, and though it won’t be for the honor of being crowned the champion of the Volleyball World Expo, there’s still some pride and bragging rights on the line here. Well, I don’t know if you could really call a 5th place classification something to be proud of at this point. I mean, if being a runner-up is just being the first loser, then what does that make the 5th place team? Fourth loser or something like that? Argh, all these things are too much for me to keep track of. Suffice it to say though that the ladies have finally managed to avenge their loss to United Adaikes in the group stage here in the classification rounds, and now they’re standing on the cusp of finally being recognized as being capable of something more than just for making glamour shots that teenaged boys pass around on the Internet like they used to do with baseball cards before paper became passe and everything transitioned into being online. Oh man, those were the days. I remember when I first saw my cousins Dara and Graham trading those cards and stickers. It was almost as if it was their own particular currency, with all sorts of values and exchange rates assigned to each and every single card. I think both of them still have their collections stashed somewhere in their respective places, but if I tried to ask them about it, they would probably just give me the cold shoulder so whatever.

All right, Ash, time to focus back on the volleyball. I’m pretty sure that I wasn’t the only one who was disappointed when we lost our quarterfinal match against Mytanija after the girls looked like they were actually going to be able to pull off the impossible. We almost managed to be the only team with a rank below ten to make it into the semifinals, but in the end Mytanija were just too strong. They showed us all that they didn’t become the third best volleyball team in the multiverse by doing nothing. The final score might make it look like we actually had a chance against the Mytanars, and maybe we did, but perhaps we showed our hand a little too early and that made our opposition shake out the cobwebs from their head and return with an even more intense beatdown than all of us were probably expecting. Winning that first set 25-10 might well be the biggest mistake that an Abanhfleft team had ever made because Mytanija’s response to that was just… well, the results speak for themselves. And that’s how we ended up being pitted against United Adaikes once again to determine who would have the right to fight to be called the best of the rest (not counting those two teams who would end up fighting for third place once the semifinals is over). On one hand, this was perhaps the perfect time for our Volleybelles to face UAD because this was the chance that they needed not only to avenge their defeat to the Adaikesians in the group stage but to prove that they were actually better than the other team. On the other hand, this could very well backfire on them and make everyone think that a new team deserves to be number 12.

And you all know what? The second game between Abanhfleft and United Adaikes in the 15th Volleyball World Expo might just go down in history as being one of the best games of volleyball ever played. I don’t even know if we’ll ever see another game surpass this one in my lifetime. All I know is that I’m just glad that I managed to see it happen before my very eyes. Also, I’m also happy that Abanhfleft managed to win in the end, but that’s almost secondary to the fact that this was a very good game of volleyball. In fact, if dictionaries ever get to the point that they could use actual videos to explain word definitions and concepts then someone could just use the highlights of this particular match as the entry for the word volleyball. It’s definitely not the perfect volleyball match, but it’s definitely very close to that though. Both teams were trading sets like they were baseball cards or football stickers or whatever (which loops back nicely to the short spiel that I made about Cousins Dara and Graham trading and bartering their cards and stickers) and nobody had a clear advantage up until the very last minute. It wasn’t until the last few serves of the first set that it finally became obvious that Abanhfleft was going to win that particular set, but then the same thing could literally be said of United Adaikes in the second set as they didn’t get a lot of momentum going there until the last few serves as well.

It was an even tighter affair come the third set, and Aly Vallejo and her girls had to pull out all the stops just to finally find a way past the Adaikesians, and I would have to say that it was Gigi Capistrano’s devastating spike at 21-21 that finally gave the Volleybelles the momentum to claim the third set for Abanhfleft. But the response from United Adaikes was both unexpected and completely expected at the same time. Everyone knew that UAD were going to go all in during the fourth set in order to take it and force the final tiebreaking set to go through. And they actually managed to do that. Not only that, but United Adaikes actually seemed to have taken a leaf out of Mytanija’s book and used the first and third sets as motivation to get themselves pumped up for the fight for the fourth set. And, I mean, it clearly worked, because the fourth set of this game had the largest margin of victory out of the five that Abanhfleft and United Adaikes played against each other in this round. I don’t know if the girls rested on their laurels before they had even crossed the line because I have no other explanation to give for why the Volleybelles could only score 13 points in the fourth set after reaching the 20-point mark in the previous three. But for the fifth set, it didn’t matter if a team was actually capable of scoring 20 points or more because all that was needed in the fifth was the ability to score 15 points while keeping one’s self ahead of the other team by at least two points. And that was exactly what our Volleybelles did, with Anne-Marie delos Reyes setting up Irish Dimaano for the killer spike that would finally settle this game once and for all.

Okay, we may have made it through against United Adaikes, but there’s still one more game to play before we can officially call ourselves the fifth best team in the 15th Volleyball World Expo. We’ve still got to play Atheara, and though on paper this looks like it’s going to be an easy matchup, if there’s one thing I’ve learned from all of the years that I’ve been covering the niche sports of Abanhfleft for Gaelic Gamers, it’s that rankings on paper don’t mean anything at all. Take our loss to Banija in this very Expo for example. Banija were seven places down the rankings from us, and yet they were able to spring one of the surprise results of the tournament on our Volleybelles. Now whether that is down to the girls underestimating Banija or Banija simply training harder than ever to beat us in volleyball is a completely different conversation or argument or whatever altogether. But that result is the first one that came to my mind in my attempt to explain the concept that anything on paper should not be taken at face value. Yes, Atheara might be only the 26th best volleyball team in the multiverse, but that literally means nothing to me. Later tonight, Atheara might play like the 26th best volleyball team in the multiverse, or they might play like this is going to be their last game. The girls better be on their toes later or else they might still get sidetracked in this competition. They had such a good start in this one that it would be an absolute shame if they couldn’t make it count on the final day of the tournament. Just one more game to go, ladies, and then we can finally rest for a little bit before starting it all over again, this time in the new Abanhfleft Volleyball League.

[Mytanija]

Mytanija had hardly been the best team in the VWE. That title probably belonged to their fellow finalists Græntfjall, who smashed through Cassadaigua in three sets to reach the championship game. Mytanija had struggled past Chromatika in five sets in the other semi-final, falling 1-0 and 2-1 behind before seeing the match out with some real experience in the final two sets. Peruna Zivic’s gamble to go for older campaigners, those who had seen these sort of situations before, seemed to have paid off. Mira Gushtanova, Alenka Kokot and Sara Gemac had come in for the big moments – for example after the third set against Chromatika – to put a steadying hand on a tiller which had threatened to send the team of course, away from a 2nd VWE title.

Zivic often bristled when the media tried to paint it as being ‘the last dance’ for those experienced players. It wasn’t just about them, there were fifteen players in the squad and Zivic had chosen them because she believed they were the fifteen which could bring the title back to Mytanar soil. She had also introduced a lot of younger players to the squad, something which was rather obscured by the overarching media narrative. Milena Marija Brumec had arguably been Mytanija’s player of the tournament at the often difficult libero position. Zahida Ponikar had shown some promise as a new option in the main scoring position. That was before mentioning the likes of Selinka Ustyuzhanina, Antonija Kremenic, Rosina Chernyshyova or Amina Nastasic – younger players who were playing a larger role with the senior national team for the first time. It was the best selection available to the country for the most important competition.

The come-from-behind victory over Chromatika perhaps hadn’t helped that narrative, with the veterans coming onto the court to help turn things around in a similar fashion to that against Abanhfleft at the quarter final stage. Commentators discussed the veterans needing to play reduced minutes, Zivic coaching well to bring them in when needed, but that didn’t give an appropriate level of credit to those who played alongside Gushtanova, Kokot and Gemac. They were top players still, everybody knew that, but volleyball is a team sport and was Mirjana Smolcic’s brave block at the net any less important than Gushtanova’s winning spike? Winning any points against VWE quality opposition was tough, turning the sport into one more about stars than the team was something very few coaches wanted to see.

That being said, the media would find a way of turning this final into Mytanija vs Nyagũthiĩ Wanjirsdóttir, given the Græntfjaller’s experience in the MOF Top League and impressive performances at VWE 15. It was a focus Zivic could actually sympathise with to some degree. Nyagũthiĩ was a problem for near enough any team, standing over 2 metres tall – at least 7cm taller than any Mytanar – and retaining an athleticism which made her a really dangerous opponent both at the net and because she was able to affect the course of a match from all over the court. Her level of play and proximity to so many of the Mytanar team made her an obvious focus for the MKV television coverage, but Zivic had also had to rein in a few of her players – those who would relentlessly pester Mirjana Smolcic for the lowdown on how to stop her teammate, or most likely just how to slow her down a bit. If Mirjana had the answer to that then Peruna would have asked her to do her job rather than play as middle blocker.

The decision Peruna had to make ahead of the final was whether to stick with the regular starting line-up, including Tea Knapic-Hren ahead of Mira Gushtanova. Gushtanova had come into the line-up a couple of times and affected the game positively, but Mira knew all too well that she couldn’t play as many minutes as even a few years before. The number of matches she had played both for Mytanija and Litala ’93 in recent years had taken a toll on her body. She had played a lot of minutes, won a lot of points, but also put enormous wear and tear on her knees, ankles and lower back. Knapic-Hren had still be solid, even if Gushtanova’s experience and creativity was still a difference-maker compared to Knapic-Hren’s more straightforward scoring style. Sticking with her and bringing Gushtanova in had worked so far, why would she change it now?

Needing Gushtanova to come in for the big moments, failing to play her from the start, would definitely be something the media would pick on should they fail to bring the trophy home – but Peruna had selected the best players available and got the team through to the final by sticking with her gut instinct. She wasn’t about to stop now. If they ended up with a silver medal then it would be because they had lost to the best team in the tournament, the team that had shown the best level at every stage of the competition. She just hoped that Mytanija’s slower start masked the fact that that moniker actually belonged to them, she just needed her players to go out and prove it.

[Graintfjall]

Net Wolves face up to the final as a team, not a one-woman show

For a country with a population well in excess of 100 million, Græntfjall’s sporting success often seems to rest on a single individual. For years, the fate of the Snow Wolves seemed to rest solely on Jason Þórhallursson’s shoulders (that the team won a Cup of Harmony without him was waved away by his defenders: had he been playing, they wouldn’t have been in the Cup of Harmony to begin with); the failure of the basketball Super Wolves to reach an IBC final is always interpreted in terms of the personal failings of Benjamin Iirosson; and during the recent World Cup of Hockey, the absence of Tom Finngeirsson was nearly the sole talking point on sports radio even as the team racked up one of the best records in group stage qualifying (only, admittedly, to be crushed in the Round of 16 by Kelssek). It’s as if the Græntfjaller concept of team sports only extends as far as that team’s strongest player. And at the Volleyball World Expo in Quebec, that tradition is playing out again, with Nyagũthiĩ Wanjirsdóttir the first and last name on everyone’s lips.

True, she is an astonishing athlete, one of the best volleyball players in the world – perhaps, on current form, the best – and is enjoying another strong tournament. And true, off the court, she’s a trailblazer, unsparingly outspoken on racism and social justice causes in a country not always receptive to such concerns. Her fairly open dislike of Kaija Michaelsdóttir has not stopped her endorsing the Prime Minister’s new “equality drive” (while, at the opening of a new youth center named in her honor, getting in a few choice words about her preference for Ana Mecava-Catic’s government’s approach on social affairs) and has led a successful campaign to encourage local authorities to offer meals to schoolchildren during school holidays. She has withstood some truly revolting bile from an admitted fringe of internet trolls, but also a much more insidious and relentless set of attacks from the tabloid press, who have speculated on her sexuality, falsely accused her brother of being a drug dealer, and claimed she consorted with “witch doctors” when seeking treatment for a knee injury, and done so with disarming grace and composure (and not a little humor).

Yet Wanjirsdóttir is far from the only star of this Net Wolves team that has mounted the best ever campaign by a Græntfjaller team. They’ve reached a world final before their hockey or basketball peers have. And have done so on the backs of several strong performances. Wanjirsdóttir is not actually the team’s highest scorer through the tournament: that would be Frostrós Norbertsdóttir, who top scored in the semi final over Cassadaigua with 21 points. In the center, Skye Hlynsdóttir is averaging 0.9 blocks per set. Julia Hartmannsdóttir is leading the team superbly from the setter position; Zeynab Jamshidsdóttir Muhammad, her back-up, is providing valuable energy off the bench while enduring much the same heckling from the unthinking tabloid press as her taller teammate. Anney Rómansdóttir remains a towering presence in the defensive lineup. Against Cassadaigua, Leikný Oddadóttir served five aces – two more than the entire Dagan team managed. Clearly the Net Wolves have the resources to score points beyond a simple “give the ball to Nyagũthiĩ” tactic.

Their opponents, Mytanija, have ample strength in depth, too. They also have a stronger infrastructure supporting the team, with a well regarded league – well regarded enough to draw Wanjirsdóttir to sign for Olympik Thessia. Outgoing coach Nico Ensiosson has reportedly given something of a scorched-whatever-planet-Rushmore-is-on exit interview with KG on his way out, criticizing the country’s lack of support, with the league receiving little television coverage and games haphazardly scheduled in local community sports halls in between seniors badminton and second division handball. The loss of funding after OG pulled out of Olympic participation has undoubtedly had an impact, too. Ensiosson has left a note for whomever his successor is: “Good luck, but I am afraid there is no money!” It’s not a note that inspires much confidence of a notable international hire to replace him.

Wanjirsdóttir fairly complacent about the relentlessness of the media focus on her. “It’s not the worst thing if it means there might not be good scouting of our other players,” she says. “I think the Mytanars are too smart for that, though. And yes, it’s a little wearing having to do all these press conferences, the same interviews, yes my parents were born in Mlima Kijani, 2 metres 1, talking about my hair, the usual. But if it saves the other girls having to do it? Maybe it’s for the best?” Her captain, Hartmannsdóttir, expressed disappointment that neither the government nor royal family were sending much in the way of representation to the final: although Princess Jessika has recently been spotted spending time in Quebec, reportedly involved with the 9th Duke of Bessborough, she travelled to Mytanija for the Copa Rushmori final, while the Prime Minister (her loathing of volleyball something of a running joke among Thing insiders) has sent a polite “good luck” note and a junior deputy from the Agriculture Ministry by way of formal attendance. “When it’s football or ice hockey every dignitary’s fighting for a VIP box seat, and with us, it seems like they don’t really care.”

Regardless of how many, or few, of the great and good show up to the final, for Wanjirsdóttir, there is only one attendee that matters: her brother (an architectural engineer, contrary to the wild rumors passing for news in ND). “He’s not made it over to Mytanija to see any of my games so far but for this one he just had to make the trip out to Quebec,” she says with a grin. And that ensures that for at least one spectator, Njomo, Nyagũthiĩ will indeed be the focus of attention. For everyone else, some of the other Net Wolves will need to step up.

Also in the paper:

• NEWS: GANAX TWUNT orbital laboratory makes gamma-ray burst breakthrough
• POLITICS: Victims of Communism Foundation calls for declassification of state records on involuntary psychiatric commitment during Union years
• SCIENCE: Public poll to name new ant species discontinued after 93% vote for “Anty Antsdóttir”
• CULTURE: Concern that auction of original copy of Treaty of Hofvinger may see historic document end in private hands
• SPORT: Princess Jessika appears in Tikariot jersey following reported bet over CR final

[Quebec and Shingoryeo]

And one last cutoff. Thank you all for making it out to what was a long, tumultuous tournament.

Pemecutan (10)          23  25  23  25  15
United Adaikes (14)     25  11  25  23  13

Atheara (26)            25  15  14  20
Abanhfleft (12)         17  25  25  25

Cassadaigua (04)        24  25  18  27
Chromatika (07)         26  19  25  29

Græntfjall (06)         25  23  28  20  15
Mytanija (03)           14  25  26  25  13

Congratulations and Commiserations.