Sport
1 October, 2024
Horsham's under-19 girls claim crown at volleyball junior country champs
Horsham hosted the standalone event from September 26-29.
The future looks bright for Volleyball Horsham's juniors following medal-winning performances at the Junior Country Championships.
The highlight was the gold medal win by the association's under-19 girls, which was closely followed by a silver medal performance by the under-17 girls and boys and a bronze for an under-15 boys' team.
An under-19 boys' team lost their bronze medal match in four tough sets to Sunraysia, while an under-15 girls' team won the hearts of the competition with their never-say-die attitude, competing out of their division but giving their all, despite not taking a win.
In the under-19 girls' gold medal match, the Horsham team got off to a great start, taking the first set against Mildura Academy, only to see their northern counterparts bounce back and take the second to level the match at one set apiece.
A change of line-up resulted in a blistering third set, as the Horsham girls blew their opponents off the court 25-7 on the back of strong serving and spiking.
With the finishing line in sight, the instruction was to stay in the moment and play each point one at a time, which the girls did up until the mid-stage of the set, when Kylie Angue and Paige Hemley combined to bust the set wide open, taking the score from 14- 14 to 19-14 in the blink of an eye.
Janay Van Buuren put the icing on the cake with two strong serves and an opportunistic ace on match point to take a much-deserved gold.
Team manager Casey Quick said the medal was a result of an all-round team performance.
"All ten girls contributed to the win throughout the tournament, with each having their moment when called upon," Quick said.
"This group has been together for three years now and they have made the gold medal match in all three of those years, defeating Geelong in 2022, losing in five sets to Riddell's Creek last year and now a win in 2024."
Quick pointed out that there is tremendous upshot for the girls, with a young under-17 team taking a silver in their first country championships.
"The under 17 girls had two top age players with eight still eligible for the under 17's in 2025.
The under-19 girls had only four top-age players with six still eligible next year, so you can see why there is a level of excitement going forward."
"We also know there are girls that didn't play that are more than capable of playing at the level going forward."
Tournament chair Kara Johnson said the success on the court resulted in Volleyball Horsham winning the Chairman's Shield for the most successful association at the event for the first time.
"That is vindication for our junior program and something we are proud of," Johnson said.
At the conclusion of the championships, ' All-Star Sevens' were announced for each age group, and nine association members received accolades.
In the under 19 girls Paige Hemley and Sophie Quick were acknowledged, while Jasper Ponseca won best libero in the under 19 boys.
Amelia Van Buuren was also named All-Star Seven best libero for U17 girls.
Ilze Van Zyl stood out in the under-17 girls, while Joel Brilliant was the under-17 boys All-Star setter, Jack Kelly the libero, Luke Brilliant and James Johns in the best seven players, with Johns taking the overall MVP award in the under-17 boys age group.
To top off a great weekend, Ponseca was acknowledged as the referee of the tournament.
Johnson also heaped praise on the association's volunteers, who made the event the success off the court that it was.
"Volleyball Horsham is renowned for their volunteer support and are the envy of a lot of country associations because of how lucky we are to be able to stage tournaments like this one and our annual tournament so well," she said.
"We thank all our volunteers for their hard work and dedication to our association because, without them, we wouldn't get these opportunities."
The association won't rest on its laurels as the attention will now turn towards the 29th annual Horsham Open Tournament in November.
Entries are rolling in, with senior teams coming from Adelaide, highlighted by the Torres Strait Island men's team preparing for their national championships at the end of the year, as well as Victorian volleyball league powerhouse Heidelberg.
An under-17 girls team from Central Adelaide Volleyball Club will also participate for the first time.