From 18–20 November, two Columba College teams travelled to Invercargill to compete in the South Island Junior Volleyball Championships. The tournament brought together a wide range of schools from across the South Island and even a visiting team from Australia

Columba 10A made an outstanding start to their campaign, finishing the first day undefeated and without dropping a single set. Day two provided tougher challenges, and the girls dropped their first set of the tournament. However, they responded with great composure and determination, regrouping to win all three matches and finish at the top of their pool heading into finals play.

On the final day, Columba 10A opened with a well-executed 2–0 victory against Geraldine, followed by another commanding 2–0 win over Wakatipu. These results sent them into the gold-medal match against a strong Southland Girls’ High School team, an opponent they had faced earlier in the tournament. The final was a thrilling, point-for-point contest, with both sets coming down to the wire. Despite their incredible fight, Columba narrowly missed out, falling 23–25, 23–25, and earning a well-deserved silver medal.

Ailie, Aisling, Anna, and Elodie were selected for the Tournament Team: an impressive achievement recognising their outstanding performance over the three days.

The Columba 9A team also enjoyed an excellent tournament. They began winning all of their games on both day one and day two, finishing undefeated and topping their pool. Day three brought their toughest challenge yet, a crossover match against visiting Australian team Upwey High School. The contest was intense from the first serve, ultimately coming down to a very nerve-racking third set. In a close finish, Upwey claimed the win. Despite the loss, Columba 9A bounced back superbly, delivering a strong performance against Geraldine High School to secure a convincing win and finish 7th overall in a highly competitive field.

This tournament was an invaluable learning experience for the 9A squad. The development, confidence, and skill growth the girls displayed over the three days were exceptional, and we cannot wait to see what they achieve next season.

Congratulations on a fantastic tournament.