Breakdown

Groundstrokes: 8.4

With the Vostra V8 315g, groundstrokes could be hit with explosive power and heavy spin, largely thanks to the more open 16x18 string pattern. For Mark, hitting with the Vostra V8 315g from the baseline was a delightful experience. He said, "Its substantial mass kept the racquet steady at contact, and its average 6-points head-light balance gave me no excuses for not getting the racquet into position in a timely manner. As expected, topspin was easy to generate, and to my surprise, the 16x18 pattern also kept my slice shots low. To be effective from the backcourt, my counterpunch style requires me to aim shots deep and control the direction of the ball. Suffice it to say, trading groundstrokes with the V8 315g was my favorite portion of the playtest."

Troy also found easy depth and shotmaking after a brief adjustment period. He explained, "When it came to hitting groundstrokes, I found this Volkl Vostra V8 315g easy to maneuver, and it provided easy access to power. Initially, I was mistiming the ball a bit; it just felt like the frame was lacking some mass and plow through. I especially noticed this on my slice; this racquet felt like it was missing the solid feel that I prefer in my racquets. However, as time went on I gradually started to find my groove. I started to appreciate the maneuverability and the easy put away power. I found that if I tried to be ultra aggressive, I could hit some easy winners. I also noticed that the harder I swung the softer this racquet felt; it was almost like the racquet flexed or pocketed the ball more with higher collision force."

For Michelle, the Vostra V8 315g did prove to be string sensitive. She described, "This racquet swung super fast compared to what I’m used to playing with. It also gave me access to loads of spin with that wide-open pattern. I was surprised it was 315 grams unstrung. The racquet pocketed the ball well, but I noted some stiffness, which isn't a common occurrence for me. I have an old wrist injury that this racquet triggered, so I restrung it with a multi for a more comfortable experience. I would have liked it to feel a bit more stable as well. This is one of those racquets that require me to alter my game for it to work best, and my groundies just didn't have the sting they normally do. It was a great teaching and coaching racquet, though, because I could hit from the baseline without having to work so hard to get the ball to go." 

Chris found easy depth and great spin. He said, "The Vostra V8 315g was easy to use from the baseline. I found ample power to help me drive shots with depth and pace. I also liked how accessible spin generation was with this racquet. Both my topspin and slice shots were working well. My one knock was with the feel of the racquet. I tried it with several string setups and found a bit of buzzing at impact. I never play with a vibration dampener, but using one in the Vostra V8 315 did the trick. I felt a little disconnected from my shots, but they were landing where intended so my control was solid. In the end, I played very well with this racquet and found ample pace to help me push my opponents off the baseline."

Volleys: 7.9

Exchanges up at net revealed just how maneuverable this racquet was during the test. For Chris, the Vostra V8 315g made for a seamless transition to volleys. He noted, "I liked the blend of stability and maneuverability I found at net with this racquet. I was able to punch volleys deep and fend off hard-hit shots. It never felt hard for me to get the racquet into position, and I often had ample time to carve some spin on the ball. Power was also easy to generate with this racquet. I could generate impressive pace and finish points quickly, even on the very compact swing of a volley."

Mark also found high levels of playability when volleying or hitting overheads. He described, "I had basically the same level of comfort and success volleying with Volkl's Vostra V8 315g as I did grinding from the baseline with it. The weight and firm frame provided the stability I want, with the balance point and lower swingweight delivering the maneuverability that I need. Additionally, the stringbed helped pocket the ball very well. Overall, this racquet complemented my half volleys and airborne volleys alike."

For Michelle, the Vostra V8 315g lacked some pocketing and feel in the hoop on volleys. She said, "More at the net than anywhere else, the Vostra V8 315g felt dead when the ball hit outside of the sweetspot. I noticed this on volleys, as well as in mini-tennis points when working on touch. I felt more effective swinging bigger to ensure my shots went over the net rather than trying to touch the ball with softer feel. I will note some discomfort here as well, and while the racquet was quick to get into place, it just seemed like it didn't absorb enough shock at contact."

The Vostra V8 315g worked well at net for Troy, though the feel wasn't always his favorite. He said, "I found easy maneuverability with this Volkl Vostra V8 315g, which was helpful when playing doubles. I also found it to be pretty stable considering the sub-320 swingweight, so when I faced big hitters this racquet felt solid on my volleys. The downside for me was that I was left wanting a bit more touch and feel for my short angles and drop volleys. I wouldn't say that the feel aspect was bad, but I just prefer the thin beam and more flexible feel of the Volkl C10 Pro."

Serves: 8.5

Serving was a standout area of performance for the Vostra V8 315g across the board. Mark had a great time with this racquet on serve, saying, "I found the Volkl Vostra V8 315g to be easier to serve with than most racquets in that weight range. Although groundstrokes are my favorite shots to hit with this racquet, serving with it is nearly as satisfying and effective." 

Likewise, Troy enjoyed the way the Vostra V8 315g served through the court. He said, "Easy power, easy spin, easy maneuverability — that was the story of this racquet on serve. I could generate a lot of spin and kick on the ball when serving with this Volkl Vostra V8 315g. My slice serves came with ease, and the kick serves were jumping off the court with a lot of pace. When it came to hitting flat serves, this racquet felt very maneuverable and made it easy to generate power; I could pronate and snap my wrist easily for that extra pop. When it came to the control and placement of my serves, I would say this racquet was decent, or sort of middle of the road. I felt like I could place my serves decently well, but it wasn't the pinpoint precision I get from the Volkl C10 Pro or Wilson Ultra Pro 16x19 v4."

Serving was Michelle's favorite part of this playtest. She said, "I found easy access to spin and a speedy response! This was probably my favorite shot to use the Vostra V8 315g because I could really accelerate it to add good movement to any serve with spin, slice or kick. I could open the court up fairly easily simply by imparting good movement on the ball." 

Chris also found this category to be the highlight of the playtest. He explained, "I had fun serving with the Vostra V8 315g, and it was by far my favorite shot to hit with this racquet. My first serves had solid pace, and I felt like I was hitting a heavy ball. I liked the amount of spin I was getting, and it helped me shape the flight path of the ball."  

Returns: 8.0

Though it may have lacked some control in this category, the Vostra V8 315g displayed enough maneuverability and power to help make returning very viable. Troy enjoyed the variety of options at his disposal. He explained, " I liked the easy power this racquet supplied on my returns. When I was feeling dialed in I could be aggressive and hit big flat returns. I felt like this racquet rewarded me when stepping in and going big on my returns, and as much as I felt like it supplied easy power, it also didn't feel like it was too hard to control. When I wasn't feeling dialed in I felt like I needed more mass built in to this racquet, or more swingweight. I was left wanting more mass and plow through on the ball when I used a more compact swing on my returns. This was also the case on my slice returns. I felt like I needed just a bit more plow through to help me hit my returns deep in the court."

Michelle had to make some adjustments to her ball-bashing style of returning with the Vostra V8 315g, but she appreciated the racquet's maneuverability above all else. She noted, "I often try to blast returns through the baseline, but with this racquet I worked on utilizing angles and moving the ball off the sides of the court. I leaned into the maneuverability here because there just wasn't enough swingweight to hit flat effectively.”

Likewise, Mark appreciated the easy handling this racquet offered. He said, "If my volley is a strength in my game, then my return would be a weakness. That said, and similar to my positives on serving, the Vostra V8 315g was very easy for me to return serves with, period." 

The Vostra V8 315g provided Chris with just about everything he needed for successful returns. He said, "Another shot where the Vostra V8 315g performed well was the return. A solid response at impact combined nicely with good access to pace and spin. I could go for big returns and find my targets with decent consistency. Likewise, when I was blocking, chipping and slicing returns, I was able to find my targets."

Breakdown Summary