This past weekend my team and I had the opportunity to play in the Canterbury Junior Volleyball tournament in Division 2, where we played eight games over three days.

We started off the tournament on Friday morning on a high with a win against Rangiora which kept us encouraged and positive. Our success on Friday, put us in the top two in our pool, meaning that we were able to play at Pioneer alongside the Junior A’s. 

We had three games on Saturday, where we won two games against Rolleston and Girls High, but also had an unfortunate loss against Cashmere. Winning four of the six games that we had played so far, meant that we had secured a spot in the semi-finals which were held at Cowells Stadium the next day. 

We headed into the semi-finals with our heads held high ready to support one another which definitely paid off as we bet Burnside 2-0. At this stage, we were filled with both excitement and nerves as we went into the finals. We knew that it would be a tough game as we had previously played them before but we didn’t let that get to us. 

We had family and friends there to support us but despite our best efforts, we lost to Hillview, leading us to a silver medal. 

Over the course of the weekend, we definitely had our highs and lows, but we always supported one another and came together as a team which is what I think was one of the key things that got us so far. 

Overall, as my first volleyball tournament, I thoroughly enjoyed myself and am looking forward to the next.

Vaali