Ninety-six girls’ teams across New Zealand competed in the 2021 New Zealand Secondary Schools Volleyball Championship in Palmerston North during Summer Tournament week at the end of March. The popularity of volleyball has grown exponentially over the past year among secondary school students. Volleyball is now the 4th most popular sport in the country, with the latest School Sport NZ Census data showing that more than 22,000 young people are playing at secondary school level.
At the NZSS Champs WGHS Premier A team (pictured left at a previous tournament) had a strong start to the tournament with wins against Havelock North and Bethlehem College to firm up a spot in the top 16. The team then faced a very strong cross-over pool and suffered the disappointment of 5 narrow losses before finding their feet again and finishing with two strong wins against Tauranga Girls and Taupo-nui-a-Tea. This meant that they finished in a creditable 13th place and the players who are returning next year have gained very valuable experience. Congratulations to Burnside High School from Christchurch, winners of the NZSS Championship.
In Division 3, (places 33-48) Westlake Girls Senior A (pictured above) won the Division 3 Bronze medal. With consistent performances across the week, they lost to the eventual division winners in the semi-final. In their playoff for a podium finish, the team started well but found themselves down 2 – 1 going into the 4th set. Westlake went on to take an incredibly intense and exciting nail-biter 5-set against Hastings Girls High School. Westlake Senior A was the highest performing ‘B’ team of all the schools at the tournament which stands us in great stead for next year.
Special thanks go to the coaches and managers of these teams – Katie Adamson (Premier team), Lucille Vukets (Premier Manager), George and Lyric Koria (Coaches of Senior A) and Tania Rameka for your expertise and nurturing.