Super Eight Volleyball Report

Day 1

The first game was against Gisborne Boys' High School, the boys bought the energy with strong attacks from the opposite and strong blocks from our middles to take to a persuasive 3-nil victory. 

Later that day we had a tough opponent being Tauranga Boys' College, both teams came out firing with each set being super close but Tauranga were able to take the first two sets due to some basic errors made by PNBHS. Going into the third set we knew we had to take this set, the team played better and this allowed us to fight hard to take back the set, but we lost our energy in the fourth set allowing Tauranga to pull away with an easy 3-1 victory. Despite the loss, the boys were thrilled with the result knowing that we were able to have a great game against a New Zealand top 4 team.

Day 2

After a big game against Tauranga, the team was lethargic to start the last of their round-robin games against Rotorua Boys’ High School. After losing the first set, we brought the heat with convincing decoys down the middle to open space for attacks down the outside. Rotorua Boys' were unable to handle the pressure and we closed the game in a convincing 3-1 victory. 

We then went on to our semi-final against the 2023 Division 2 champions, New Plymouth Boys' High School. The team knew their stamina would be tested with this game, and both teams came out firing hard. Hard mahi and hustle took the game to five sets, both sides desperate to make the final. A collection of small mistakes saw the game fall in favour of the opposition, narrowly losing the last set 16-14. The second day finished with a lot of reflection and a very silent car ride back to the accommodation.

Day 3

Start of day 3 the boys were still feeling upset about the semi final loss.  Napier Boys' High School noticed this and took an early lead taking the first two sets, the boys realised that they had to fix simple errors and change the momentum of the game if they were to win the game.  Going into the third set the team were looking sharp as all attacks were successful, our hustle blocking was on point allowing us to take out both the third and fourth sets. Going into the fifth set we were hyped and won the fifth set 15-12, securing the last point with a monster block. 

Overall, the tournament was a great way to prepare ourselves for nationals against some strong competition. A big thank you to Hastings Boys’ High School for hosting Super Eight this year, we look forward to seeing everyone in March.