The middle of the 2022 volleyball competition came with a shock, as we found out that the high school National competition was cancelled due to COVID. However, our coach Miss Brieana Booth was able to pull some strings and get us invited to the two-day Bay of Plenty tournament. The team was ecstatic, we were able to play another few games of volleyball. Our first game was at 12:30pm against Otumoetai College. They were a well put together team, but fortunately for us we were better on the day, and we beat them 3-2. After a nice break we were ready to play our next game against Mount Maunganui College. This team was tricky, I believe we could’ve and should have taken at least a set. However, we weren’t playing well and unfortunately lost 3-0.

Day 2 started with a late start, so we were able to get some much needed rest, and be ready for our next game. Game 3 was set to be played at 12:30 against Whakatane High School. They were another great team, and while they weren’t as aggressive and athletic as the Mount, they made up for it by being near-perfect in the basics. We once again were not playing our best, and we let the pressure get to us and weren’t able to take advantage of opportunities that Whakatane were giving us. Sadly, we lost 3-0. Our final game was against Bethlehem College. The boys played really well, and although we lost the first two sets, we were able to come to our senses and played how we should’ve from the beginning, winning the next two sets. We were nervous going into the final set, nevertheless we quickly gained points on the opposition and were able to take the set, winning the match 3-2.

Despite a couple of disappointing matches, the team is still very happy that we were able to take home a third place finish. Overall, the team learned a lot from this and are very content with how we did. We are excited to develop our skills further, and hopefully do better in future matches and tournaments.

By Kawana Snow

Captain of Volleyball