The future looks bright for South Gippsland volleyball after the South Gippsland Volleyball Club came away with a swag of medals from the Junior Volleyball Tournament at Mornington over the weekend.
Competing in the hotly contested Mornington Junior Tournament played at the Somerville Recreation Centre and Frankston Jubilee Park Stadium, the U18 Boys and U18 Girls teams did themselves proud.
Captained by Christian Ringer, the U18 Boys showed grit and determination across four hard-fought matches at Jubilee Park. Facing Mornington White twice, the U18 Boys secured a win in the opener before dropping the return match.
Playing against a powerful Tempo Volley line-up, the boys fell short in both encounters, but not without moments of brilliance, catching their more experienced opponents off-guard more than once.
Crucially, the U18 Boys won a must-have set against Tempo Volley to qualify for the Grand Final. Despite going down 2–0 in the decider, the boys walked away with a well-earned silver medal and a huge sense of achievement.
Of the eight players, six were competing in their very first tournament with Jaedon (13) and Matthew (recently turned 14) being the youngest competitors. Their height,
courage, and enthusiasm had supporters cheering, with the team’s new catchphrase quickly becoming ‘Height is Might’.
The U18 Girls hit the courts at Somerville with energy and purpose.
Their opening match against the Victorian State U14 team was a thriller, after dropping the first set they fought back to win the next two, only to fall agonisingly short in a nail-biting finish (1:2, 50–48).
Undeterred the girls went on to topple Heidelberg (2:1, 51–39), overcame VIP (2:1, 52–43), and dominated the Mornington U18 Division 2 side (3:0, 57–30).
After a quick 15-minute refuel and pep talk from Coach Tamara Miller the U18 Girls returned to face Heidelberg again in the Grand Final.
Backed by cheers, airhorns, and unwavering support from parents and guardians the team played like a well-oiled machine. With powerful serves, sharp passing and relentless defence, the U18 Girls claimed a fabulous gold medal (2:0, 50–40).
Captain Natalie Churchill capped off the day named MVP for the Division 2 U18 Girls, a fitting tribute to her leadership and performance.
With medals proudly displayed around their necks our junior boys and girls now turn their focus to the Junior Country Championships in Horsham in September.
Congratulations to both teams ‘Go Souths’.
