Junior Volleyball

On Monday the 21st of August, our team, a combination of Year 7 and Year 8 students, competed in the inter-school volleyball tournament in Daylesford. All of our players were consistent, having attended weekly training sessions to build-up our skills prior to the competition.

After a noisy bus ride, we arrived at a large, indoor gymnasium, with two volleyball courts, one for the girls and the other for the boys. We all mentally prepared ourselves for our first match, which we started almost as soon as we set our bags down on the bleachers. 

First up we were against Daylesford, who proved to be very skillful. Thanks to the serves of some of our players, including Issy and Macey, we scored 4 points in our first rotation, Daylesford however, scored 15. Fortunately, we managed to make some improvements in our second rotation, scoring 5 points in the final round, although once again Daylesford scored 15.

After the game we reassessed and while watching the boys play, we started to strategise for our next match. We ate lunch, and watched a few more games before we took the court for our second game. 

Our second match was against Ballarat High School, a team who also proved to have a strong skill set. However, taking into account what we had already learned, we managed to score 5 points in our first match, thanks to Skye and Summer’s setting, as well as Katie and Emilie's digs and spikes. Despite our best efforts, BHS scored 15 points that round. We continued to improve our skills during the next rotation, including our setting and returning the ball back over the net. We finished up scoring 7 points during that round but unfortunately BHS scored a further 15 points, giving them the victory.

Our final game was against Mount Clear and we were determined to walk away with at least one win for the day. We had a solid start to the game and we’re in the lead, utilising Issy’s serves and my returns. Our luck was to be short lived as Mount Clear narrowly took the lead 13 - 15, before ending the game, in the final round, with a score of 6-15, in favour of Mount Clear. It didn’t matter though, we still left with triumphant smiles on our faces and newfound skills for a game we're all eager to continue playing.

On the way back to school, (which was another noisy bus ride) we all agreed that it had been a good day playing volleyball and we were happy we got to enjoy it with our friends.

We would like to thank Mr Webb for organising the entire event, not just for the girls but the boys too, and for coaching us. We would also like to thank Miss Hughes, for taking time out of her day to help us girls enjoy our volleyball experience. We also appreciate the training sessions in the gym on Tuesdays and Thursdays, as we know this is your own time you are giving up, so thank you. 

-Tara Allen, Year 8