Elite: Recap of the second half of the season

The second half of the season was a mix of difficult circumstances and visible progress.

The difficulties were clear: we had an unusually high number of injuries, which meant that for long periods we had very few players at training. This affected the quality and consistency of our preparation, and we had to adjust a lot. This wasn’t always easy, and there were some really tough weeks.

Somewhat paradoxically, this was also the period when we developed consistency, which had been our weakness in the first half of the season. This showed in our results: we beat Lindesberg (3–0), RIG (3–2), Sollentuna (3–0), and Lund (3–2), and we had good performances against Linköping and Örebro. The only clearly disappointing result in this period was the loss to Gislaved (0–3).

If we look only at the second half of the season, we were the 5th best team in the league, ahead of RIG and Lund, and behind only Linköping, Engelholm, Halmstad, and Örebro. This is a very strong placement, and in my opinion close to the ceiling of what this team could achieve this year, given the level and structure of the top four teams.

We entered the playoffs ranked 6th, an improvement compared to last year (11th, no playoffs) and the year before (8th), and only behind the 2022/2023 season (5th). In the quarterfinals we faced Engelholm, the second ranked team and the only team against which we didn’t win a set in the regular season. We lost the series in three, which unfortunately ended our season. We had moments when we competed well and put Engelholm under pressure, but overall they were clearly the stronger team and we were not able to take a single set from them.

On an individual level, several players ranked among the best in the league after the regular season:

Ella Gonton had the most total points (383), the most points per set (5,8), and the most aces in the league (44), and was second in aces per set (0,67).
Sofie Sjöberg was first in serve receive (57%), and Disa Axrup second (56%).
Several other players were among the top 15 in different statistical categories, and many were selected to the “team of the week” throughout the season.

Ella Gonton was also voted by the players in the league to the Elitserien Dream Team. In addition, Hulda Rudberg has been nominated for Rookie of the Year, and Ella Gonton for Player of the Year. These awards are decided by the coaches’ voting and will be announced in the next few days.

Overall, I consider this season a success. Not because everything worked well (it didn’t), but because we clearly exceeded expectations. At the end of last season, after extremely poor results, there were serious doubts about whether this team should continue in the Elitserien or not, and I’m happy we got another chance. This season, we rebuilt the team with 10 new players, most of whom had to take on roles significantly bigger than before: competing for starting positions, carrying the teamduring games, or becoming leaders in a relatively young and inexperienced group.

Despite the challenges, we were competitive, and in the second half of the season we were among the five best teams in the league.

Given the resources we have, I believe we performed above what could reasonably be expected.

I hope this season will be remembered as the year when this program turned back in the right direction, after a season whereit came very close to losing its elite spot. I also hope it is the starting point for something bigger: returning to the Grand Prix, reaching the semifinals of the SM playoffs, and eventually competing for medals and the title.