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Volleyball News before 2005 |
Volleyball athletes are on the radar, 7 December 2011
SP AusNet Volleyball Head Coach, Dan Higgins proudly announced that eight boys and girls have been identified and selected to attend National Youth/Junior training camps from 9 December.
Dan couldn’t contain his pride and excitement saying “Considering that only twenty four Gippsland Sports Academy athletes were of the correct age range for these camps, this is a sensational result for Gippsland. Congratulations to the athletes and support coaches this is fantastic.”
Head Coach Dan Higgins added, "The eight Girls and Boys invited to the upcoming national team camps are just some of the emerging talent that exists in the Gippsland region. Two of these athletes are are from our Under 15 group. They have shown dedication and improvement over time and much of the credit also goes to the excellent coaches that reside in the region. Volleyball doesn't have a difficult pathway, like many of more prominent sports, so new athletes who are athletic and who are able to learn the fundamentals can progress from school volleyball to Academy and then National representation faster than many sports"
The following athletes will join the camp from 9-15 December for the boys and the girls with the girls heading to the Monash Churchill Campus and the boys travelling to Latrobe University in Bendigo.
Boys
Jake Harrison (Drouin), Nathan East (Lakes Entrance), Alek Ryan (Inverloch and will still be Under 15 in 2012).
Girls
Phoebe Trembath (Morwell), Courtney Brann (Wonthaggi), Kasey Teakle and Catherine Mercer (Inverloch) and Monica Harasimiuk (Traralgon and sill Under 15 in 2012).
All of the these athletes were part of the recent trip to the Bendigo Dragon City Tournament where the Gippsland Sports Academy had three teams compete, 2 girls and 1 boys team. All the teams were very competitive although the boys found the going tough, but learnt a great deal. Both girls’ teams competed at a very high level with one team placing 3rd.
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Volleyball champion to show her skills, 16 September 2011
Former Gippsland Sports Academy volleyball athlete Danielle Stott will impart her skills and knowledge to members of the 2011 SP AusNet Volleyball Program.
Danielle, a former Australian Junior and Senior player will be a guest coach at the training session being held in Bairnsdale on Sunday 25th September, training is from 10:30am to 3pm.
Danielle was a member of the Gippsland Sports Academy volleyball program in 2006 and 2007 where she was exposed to the skills required to make it through to the State and National volleyball teams.
“From the Academy’s prospective this is what it’s all about for our young Gippsland athletes, seeing what can be achieved when you work for it”, Gippsland Sports Academy Chief Executive Officer, Judi Buhagiar said, “to hear it from someone who lives in your area and has achieved what you are currently setting out to achieve is strong reinforcement for anyone” she added.
The athletes and coaches of the SP AusNet Volleyball Program will be in for a real treat as they rub shoulders with a former national representative and get an insight into what it takes to reach their goals.
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Volleyball athlete loves gold, 2 September 2011
Kasey Teakle with the title trophy
Inverloch’s Kasey Teakle has returned from the Australian School Sports Championships recently played in Perth with a gold medal, only one of two gold medals Victoria has won at these championships in 23 years. Kasey was one of only 10 volleyball athletes chosen to represent Victoria in her age group for the championships.
Kasey is now in her second year with the SP AusNet Gippsland Sports Academy Volleyball Program with her squad now preparing for the Bendigo City Dragon Tournament being held in October 2011.
Kasey is excited and grateful for any opportunity that comes her way and has worked very hard since her selection in April to achieve gold at these championships and will continue to put in the hard yards required to ensure these opportunities come her way in the future.
Facing Queensland in the gold medal play off meant the Victorian team needed to overcome the thought that Queensland was the only team they had lost to twice in the home and away rounds. The title for the National Championship came down to a nail biting finish as both teams fought it out seeing a tie breaker in third set. The Victorians were able to pull through for an amazing result.
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Academy athlete returns as coach, 29 August 2011
Former Gippsland Sports Academy volleyball athlete, Jessica Lloyd has agreed to come back and impart her knowledge on the current SP AusNet volleyball athletes.
Jessica is really looking forward to the role as a coach saying how great it is being able to give back to the program what she got out of it.
Jessica was part of the original program which was inducted in 2001 and was involved for two years. Jessica recalls the academy was a fantastic opportunity to enhance skills and have access to some of the more experienced and knowledgeable coaches and recognises the program as a great stepping stone towards State and National teams.
Lloyd commenced her successful volleyball career when in 1999 and continues to play in the local mixed competition in Moe.
When asked what it meant to come to the Academy as a coach Jessica quickly replied “I’ve been thinking about coming back and being a part of the coaching panel for the academy for the last few years. After Glen Trembath asked me to be involved, I jumped at the opportunity as it gives me a chance to give back what I got out of the program all those years ago. It gives me the chance to pass on some of the knowledge and skills I’ve been taught onto these young and upcoming players”.
Humble about her achievements she describes her state team selections as lucky even though she was part of the Victorian team from 2002 through to 2007 with the exception of 2005. As well as these selections Jessica was a scholarship holder with the Victorian Institute of Sport in 2003 and 2004 and also trialled for the national junior youth team.
Her advice to the current athletes in the program is to “enjoy the opportunity and take in as much information, skills and knowledge as you can, but most importantly have fun”, Jessica also added “it’s about having fun but learning at the same time”.
The Gippsland Sports Academy is pleased to advise some vacancies still exist the under 15 program. These vacancies are open to volleyball athletes who will still be eligible for Under 15 in 2012. The selected athletes will compete at the national titles being held in Albury in April. If you would like further information please contact head coach Dan Higgins on 0407 844 881
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Academy welcomes new athletes, 1 August 2011
The Gippsland Sports Academy recently welcomed 10 new athletes into the 32 strong SP AusNet volleyball squad and 10 new athletes into the 20 strong Morwell Bowling Club swimming squad.
In addition to new athletes the Gippsland Sports Academy is also pleased that new coaches will also be included seeing more of Gippsland represented. “It’s always exciting to welcome new and enthusiastic athletes but just as exciting when new coaches come on board” CEO, Judi Buhagiar said, “all shires of Gippsland are represented within these sports and the more places we can have representation in Gippsland the better everyone’s opportunities are”, she added.
Both sports are looking forward to solid programs as directed by head coaches Dan Higgins (volleyball) and Brian Ford (swimming). The swimming squad will soon make its annual trip to Runaway Bay in Queensland for an intensive week of training and competition preparation while volleyball has a new focus for under 15 athletes offering them the opportunity to experience competition at the National Titles being held in Albury in 2012 first hand as they will enter under the banner of Gippsland Sports Academy. The over 15 program will prepare for the Bendigo Dragon City tournament being held in October.
Gippsland Sports Academy CEO, Judi Buhagiar said “We have had great success in both of these sports in the past and I’m sure this year will be bigger and better thanks to the dedication of all of those involved”. “The swim program has an added incentive as we recently appointed Olympic Swimmer, Ashley Delaney as the patron for that sport, a great role model not only for our swimmers but all Gippsland Sports Academy athletes”, she added.
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Two more Victorian volleyball team selections, 4 April 2011
On the back of what has already been an amazing year in the sport of volleyball two Gippsland Sports Academy athletes have set the bar even higher for themselves.
Inverloch’s Kasey Teakle has been selected to represent Victoria in the 15 & under Victorian Secondary School Sports Association Team which will compete in the Australian School Sports Championships in Perth this August. Kasey’s selection was an enormous effort as only 10 girls in her age group in Victoria are chosen.
Also from Inverloch Alek Ryan who was recently named as an emergency for the Victorian Yellow team has now been promoted and offered a position as a team member with the Victorian White team and will make his debut for Victoria at the national championships in Albury during the upcoming school holidays.
"These athletes are what it’s all about for us, they continually challenge themselves, pushing for selection and recognition, CEO of the Gippsland Sports Academy, Judi Buhagiar said, we are very proud of them and thank the coaches and parents who contribute so much to their development", she added.
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Phoebe Trembath breaks 30 year national selection drought, 1 April 2011
Phoebe Trembath
SP AusNet Gippsland Sports Academy and Latrobe Valley Volleyball athlete Phoebe Trembath has broken a 30 year drought for Latrobe Valley Volleyball with her selection into the Australian Women’s Junior Squad to participate in the 2011 Trans Tasman Volleyball Series against New Zealand commencing on 18th July 2011 in Mildura.
Latrobe Valley Volleyball spokesperson Danny Anderson said “Latrobe Valley last had national representation 30 years ago, and we are delighted with this recent news, it is an indication of the increased interest and development of junior volleyball in this area”.
Phoebe has developed her volleyball in Latrobe Valley through regular trainings as well as being a member of the SP AusNet Gippsland Sports Academy Volleyball Programme and weekly competition in the Moe Volleyball league.
Recently retired Academy Volleyball Head Coach Dave Smythe said, “Phoebe has been a valued member of the Gippsland Sports Academy Volleyball program for a number of years, and honed her skills under the guidance of experienced academy coaching staff, I wish her every success for the future representing Australia”
Things keep getting better and better for the focused young athlete as this selection into the National team coincides with her selection into both the Victorian Under 15 and Under 17 squads to play at the respective National championships later this year.
Phoebe was last year selected into the training squad which took part in the 2010 Australian National Women’s Volleyball Camp, hosted by Latrobe Valley Volleyball and supported by Latrobe City and TRU Energy. This camp was a fantastic opportunity for Phoebe to be exposed to current national coaches and develop the skills required to compete at an international level.
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SP AusNet invests in Gippsland’s future sporting stars, 29 March 2011
The SP AusNet Volleyball Squad at the recent cheque presentation
Gippsland electricity distributor SP AusNet has continued its dedication to investing in communities in which it operates with a significant contribution of $15,000 over three years to the Gippsland Sports Academy.
SP AusNet eastern region manager Jim Haylock said the business was pleased to continue its involvement in the community-based program, providing local development opportunities for approximately 160 young Gippsland athletes.
“We see this as an investment in excellence – one that aims to provide greater skilling for our Gippsland youth. As a large regional employer of Gippsland, with a commitment to ‘skilling for the future’, we firmly believe in providing our young generation with every opportunity to succeed,” Mr Haylock said.
Ms Judi Buhagiar, Chief Executive Officer of the Gippsland Sports Academy said she was delighted to receive the sponsorship and was excited about continuing the strong alliance with SP AusNet.
“It is an absolute delight to be associated with the recipient of the 2010 Minister’s Award for excellence for employers of Australian apprentices. Together we will work towards strengthening development opportunities for the youth of Gippsland,” Ms Buhagiar said.
“This sponsorship will enable us to ensure our programs continue to promote excellence among talented sportspeople in the region.
“This support from SP AusNet will be invested in the Gippsland Academy’s Volleyball program, ensuring more than 40 athletes, 6-10 support staff and 6 representatives are fully funded for a minimum of three years,” Ms Buhagier said.
SP AusNet volleyball Program has been a part of the Gippsland Sports Academy since 2001.
Mr Haylock said it was a great to see the Academy promote programs that provide a holistic approach towards personal development as well as develop sporting skills while optimising the health and fitness of Gippsland’s youth.
Each year, SP AusNet sponsors a large number of grassroots community initiatives with far-reaching benefits for those communities in which it operates.
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Volleyball athletes in State mix, 28 February 2011
Volleyball Victoria has announced the teams looking to fight it out at the 2011 Australian Under 15 Championships in Albury from Monday 18th to Thursday 21st April.
Gippsland Sports Academy athletes are well represented in the tiered programme. Morwell's Phoebe Trembath has been selected in the Girls Blue team progressing from the 2010 State's development team to the number one girl's Victorian team in 2011.
Phoebe is a member of the team who will be coached by her father Glenn Trembath also involved with the Gippsland Sports Academy as an assistant coach. Glenn will be assisted by another assistant coach with the Gippsland Sports Academy Susannah Ball.
Other Academy athletes making it through to the development State teams are Natalie Mackay (White/Lakes Entrance), Jennifer Klerck (Yellow/Lakes Entrance), Darcie White (Yellow/Moe), while Coco Davidson (Lakes Entrance) and Alek Ryan (Inverloch) were named as emergencies.
"The athletes were up against players from all around Victoria and have worked very hard to secure their places in these teams," Judi Buhagiar, CEO of the Gippsland Sports Academy said.
"It is also very pleasing for us when our coaches are recognised for the hard work and dedication they offer to the development of our Gippsland athletes," she added.
All teams will now undergo an intense training schedule in preparation for the national championships.
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Volleyball team brings home bronze, 21 December 2010
Four Gippsland Sports Academy teams made up of athletes from Lakes Entrance to South Gippsland, recently travelled to Canberra to participate in the Good Neighbour Tournament.
Two boys and two girls teams represented the Gippsland Sports Academy fighting it out against interstate teams. The girl’s senior team had a tough home and away draw seeing them pitted up against the top section of the competition during the weekend.
An opportunity to avenge their home and away loss to Belconnen saw the girls hold strong to win a tightly contested 3 set battle and snatch the medal eventually defeating Belconnen 25/16, 19/25, 15/13.
After winning two from five home and away games over the weekend the Gippsland Sports Academy junior girls teams also stepped up to take on Belconnen in a three set thriller.
With a little more experience coming through from the opposition the girls did Gippsland proud eventually going down 25/16, 19/25, 15/13.
Both boys teams were unlucky not to make finals but showed fabulous fighting spirit over the weekend.
“The Good Neighbour Tournament is a highlight for our volleyball athletes. It allows them the opportunity to experience so many aspects of competing, which can only be a positive in their development” Gippsland Sports Academy Chief Executive Officer Judi Buhagiar said, “we are very proud of them not only for the skill they displayed but for the way they represented the Academy” she added.
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Former volleyballer in national mix, 21 December 2010
Former Gippsland Sports Academy Volleyball athlete Eliza Smith is training hard preparing to compete in Vietnam early in the New Year. The VTV Binh Dien Cup is a precursor to the Asian Senior Volleyball Championships being held in September 2011.
A former East Gippsland resident Eliza was also a recipient of the prestigious Gippstar award in 2009/10 for her achievements in Volleyball.
“This is Eliza’s first selection at this level, we know there will be no regrets and that she will be very determined to cement her place in the Australian Team’ Gippsland Sports Academy Chief Executive Officer Judi Buhagiar said, ‘Eliza is an excellent role model for our upcoming Gippsland volleyball athletes’ she added.
Congratulations also go to East Gippsland residents, Coco Davidson, Jennifer Klerck and Natalie Mackay who are currently training with Victorian squads. Teams will be announced in March.
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Alex heads a cluster of rising stars, 7 September 2010
Alex Bermingham has had a rapid rise in volleyball ranks since taking up the sport a little more than a year ago.
He signed into his school team for the Crazy John's schools competition and found the game to his liking. This lead him into a team in the Latrobe Valley competition.
Until then Alex's first loves had been cricket and football but the 190-cm 15-year old found that his build and ball skills were ideal for volleyball.
Shortly after Alex won a place in the Gippsland Sports Academy's Volleyball Squad as a player with potential but whose skills needed rounding.
Alex thrived on the Academy's program and by the season's end had developed into one of the squad's most capable players.
He tried for selection in the Victorian under-17 team earlier this year and won a place as emergency for the Australian Championships in Perth. However, in Perth the team did not need his services.
In a remarkable turn of fortune, injuries in the Victorian under-19 team meant a call for an under-17 emergency, and Alex found himself representing Victoria in a more senior team.
His on-court competence secured Alex a team place throughout the remainder of the series.
Alex has returned to the Academy Squad this season and will also be trialling for the Victorian Beach Volleyball Team in a few weeks' time.
Also at the trials will be Mitchell Watson, another relative newcomer to volleyball, who has been impressive in his course of improvement as well.
Last year the Academy's Squad was a relatively young collection of fresh faces, but after one season a number of others have established themselves as well.
Amongst the most capable are Phoebe Trembath, Jennifer Klerck and Peter Harasimiuk, all members of Victorian under-15 teams earlier this year.
Kasey Teakle, who travels from Inverloch each week to compete in the Moe competition, is an outstanding new recruit to the Academy. She was also a Victorian under-15 team member and distinguished herself by winning the team's Most Valued Player Award.
The Academy's training program is now focussed on a Canberra tournament in November and squad members will then aim for the state selection trials which run from December to February.
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Volleyball player wins Australian gold medal, 16 April 2010
The Academy Volleyball Squad's Peter Harasimiuk was a member of the the winning Victorian side at the Australian under-15 Volleyball Championships held during the school holidays. Two of our girls, Jan Klerck and Phoebe Trembath also played in the second Victorian girls' Yellow Team.
Peter was in the Victorian Blue Team which played outstandingly well during the tournament. The side dropped only the one set during the tournament and won the gold medal match in four sets. Peter was one of the more valued players and was kept on court for every game.
The girls' Yellow Team was overshadowed by the girls' Blue Team, which also won the Australian title. The Yellows finished 8th overall out of 19 sides and coaches praised their commitment and performances throughout the 4-day competition.
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State Training Squad selection for volleyballers, 26 February 2010
Four Academy volleyball squad members have been selected to the Volleyball Victoria training squads in preparation for the Australian Championships in July.
The four are Susie Ball (under-21), Anna Williams (under-19 Blues), Max Rounds and Alex Bermingham (under-19 Whites). There is a possibility of a fifth player being selected as there is still one girls' squad yet to be announced.
The players will train with their respective squads in the lead up to the Championships in July. Final team selections will be made at the squad training sessions on 14 March.
The four named in the under-21 and under-19 categories follow another four who were selected into under-15 squads prior to Christmas and who will be playing their championships in April. The under-15s were Phoebe Trembath, Jennifer Klerck, Peter Harasimiuk and Josh Dyer.
Familiar faces who were with the Academy last year are also included in the recent selections. Eliza Smith, who has moved to Melbourne, and Harley Atcheson from the Latrobe Valley, have both been named in under-19 squads.
Sharlene John and Stephen Holder from last year's Academy coaching group have also made the list and will be coaching one of the girls' teams.
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Four make Vic Volleyball squad, 21 December 2009
Four members of the Academy's volleyball squad have been selected into the Victorian under-15 squad.
Those successful were Phoebe Trembath, Jennifer Klerck, Peter Harasimiuk and Josh Dyer.
At the squad's first training session next month selections will be made for individual teams for the Australian Under-15 Championships. They will be held in Albury in April.
The selections followed trials held on the first two weekends of December. Further trials for all other age groups will be conducted in February and lead on to teams for the Australian Junior Championships during July.
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Good show at Good Neighbour, 8 December 2009
by Jessee John
Once again the Academy's volleyball squad had great results at this year's Good Neighbour Tournament held in Canberra over the last weekend in November. There were 34 squad members attending.
The Saturday began with a 7.30am start for most, in preparation for a 9am game. GSA had 4 teams, one senior boys' team, one junior boys' team, one senior girls' team, and one junior girls' team. The boys and girls were each playing at separate stadiums, though only about 5 minutes from each other.
After a long day of games and duties, athletes returned back to the cabin for dinner, a quick swim for some, and bedtime by about 10pm.
Sunday again began with an early start, with the senior boy's team having duty at 8 am. We had great results from our teams, with the senior girls winning bronze in Division 4, and the junior girls winning gold in the Schoolgirls division. The senior boys played to a high standard, winning one game and drawing another, to finish 4th in their pool. Team captain Max Rounds stated it was the best they had done in the years he'd been associated with the program.
The junior boys unfortunately did not win a game, though they played very well, especially as for many athletes this was their first experience playing in a game situation, let alone a tournament situation. This was also the same for the junior girls.
The most impressive act from the athletes, though not at all surprising, was the support they showed for each other on and off the court. Many athletes rallied together to watch the other teams games, cheering them on from the sidelines.
Athletes were able to view games of a very high standard and to visit the AIS, at times when they were not playing. This included seeing the honour matches, as well as games played by the Bairnsdale men's and women's teams.
The squad's Head Coach Dave Smythe also coached the men's and women's teams from Bairnsdale, with the men's team bringing home bronze, and the women's team receiving silver. The GSA athletes rallied behind these two sides as well, attending their medal games.
With our final placings the weekend was a great success. There were no major injuries and everyone enjoyed themselves. While away we also celebrated the recent birthdays of Liam De Vries, Tayla Trembath and Jessica Baillie.
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Australian team dream spot for Eliza, 24 September 2009
Eliza Smith's selection into the Australian Junior Volleyball team is a cause for double celebrations in Gippsland.
Eliza is one of four outstanding Gippsland players, all graduates of the Academy, to have represented Australia in international tournaments. She follows former Academy squad members Danielle Stott and Sally Deed who have been outstandingly successful over several years. The fourth is Brodie Watts who joined Eliza in last year's Australian Youth Team - a younger age group - to play a series in New Zealand.
The junior side is currently competing against New Zealand in a 5-test series for the Jenny Kirk Trans Tasman Trophy.
The reason for a second celebration is that the third test is scheduled to be held in Newborough next week. It will be a great honour for Eliza to represent Australia in front of many of her own friends and team mates. We can bet that Eliza will get a lot of support from the stands.
The match will be at the at Latrobe Leisure Moe Newborough on Tuesday 29 September and starts at 6 pm.
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Valuable volleyballers win awards, 1 September 2009
Two Academy volleyball squad members and a former member have received Volleyball Victoria awards. The awards were presented recently at the State Team Dinner and were recognition for outstanding contributions as members of Victorian teams.
Susannah Ball and Anna Williams won most valuable player awards for their performances at the Australian Junior Championships in July.
Susannah and Anna were selected to state training squads after trials during the Academy's last season. Susannah then represented Victoria in the women's U19 Gold Team and Anna was selected to the U17 White team.
Danielle Stott was the third winner of a most valuable player award. She was a member of Victoria's gold medal-winning U21 side at the championships. Danielle graduated from the Academy in 2005 and has since been a regular member of Victorian and national teams. Although she officially ended ties with the Academy at that time, Danielle has continued to provide mentoring support to a number of the young girls in the Academy's squad.
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Coaches recalled to Victorian teams, 5 March 2009
Once again Volleyball Victoria has turned to Academy coaches to help Victoria maintain its standing as Australia's top junior volleyball state.
Steve Holder and Sharlene John will be coaching the Vic U17 White girls team. Andrew Fisher and Justine White will be coaching the Vic U15 boys gold. Meanwhile our Head Coach, David Smythe, is a mentor coach for all the U15 sides.
Volleyball Victoria is keen to stay with a proven formula. All five had coaching appointments with squads last year when Victoria overshadowed arch-rivals Queensland in the U15 and U17 Australian titles.
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Volleyball's magnificent seven, 26 February 2009
Seven Academy volleyball squad members have been named in Victorian training squads in preparations for the Australian titles later in the year.
They are:
U17 girls: Anna Williams, Chloe Street.
U17 boys: Fraser Cash, William Crawford, Liam Gibson.
U19 girls: Susannah Ball, Brodie Watts.
Anna, Chloe, Susannah and Brodie were members of teams last year. Chloe was captain of the Victorian U15 Victorian Blue team.
Next month the teams and reserves will be announced. Although players are almost certain to win team selection, places will still be competitive as players will prefer team spots over emergency roles.
In addition to our seven, a further three former Academy squad members were named in squads. They are Harley Atcheson, Eliza Smith and Danielle Stott. Danielle, named in the U21 side, has already had a distinguished international career in volleyball since leaving the Academy four years ago.
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Golden weekend for volleyballers, 26 November 2008
Academy volleyball squad members had an outstanding results at the Canberra Good Neighbour Tournament last weekend. The competition attracted top teams from around Australia and New Zealand, but in the school age divisions the Academy teams were the pace setters with two gold medals and one silver.
The boys team and the senior girls' team were finals winners with the junior girls' team finishing second.
Max Rounds won the most valued player award for the boys' event, and Cassie Brei earned the award in the senior girls' event.
A women's Bairnsdale team entered in Division 2 was also successful. It included squad members Brodie Watts and Susie Ball, along with coach Justine White and program manager Sharlene John. The most valued player award went to Brodie.
It was a remarkable achievement that all players were in a winning or runner-up team, and it reflects on their dedication and team discipline that they performed so well. Congratulations to all players and their supporters!
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Top two in Australian Youth Team, 29 July 2008
Two girls in the Academy's volleyball squad, Brodie Watts and Eliza Smith, have been selected for the Australian Youth Team to play in New Zealand in October.
At the start of this year the two girls were amongst a number of Academy athletes who were selected into Victorian girls' and boys' squads over different age groups. Both Brodie and Eliza went into the girls' U17 training squad. Their squad selection was the start of a challenging six months of preparation, with weekends being committed to squad training or Junior State League competition.
As the months progressed the Victorian coaches and selectors progressively pared down and fine-tuned the squad until, at the recent Australian Championship, they had their best possible teams.
In the Championships Brodie played in Victoria Blue which, after a close and exciting battle against Queensland in the final, emerged with the Australian title. As there were two top teams to select from, Brodie was delighted to be invited to join the Australian Youth Team to play in New Zealand in October. She has also been added to the reserve list for the Asian Youth Championships shortly after.
Meanwhile Eliza's White team was less successful, finishing 9th overall. Despite the team's disappointing results, Eliza's stand-out performances in the series impressed the selectors and she too has been added to the team for New Zealand.
Both Brodie and Eliza have participated in the Bairnsdale competition and the Melbourne-based Junior State League. They are in regular contact with another East Gippsland volleyball champion, Danielle Stott, who has supported and encouraged them. Danielle rose through the Academy ranks and was also an assistant coach at one stage. Danielle is now a regular member of the Victorian and Australian girls' U21 teams, and has been a wonderful example to other young players from her area.
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Volleyballers win national medals, 28 April 2008
Four Academy volleyball athletes won medals at the recent Australian U15 championships. They were Mitchell Sanders, Max Rounds, Chloe Street and Alix Porter.
Academy squad members at the Australian U15 titles:
Mitchell Sanders, Max Rounds, Chloe Street & Alix Porter.
Both Chloe and Alix were selected as captains of their sides, the girls' Blue and White teams respectively. For the boys Max Rounds played in Vic White, the no. 2 side, and Mitchell Saunders played in Yellow, the no. 3s.
The boys' final was a surprise with the second ranked Vic Whites steamrolling the Vic Blue team in a straight sets victory. As a gold medal winner Max Rounds was not the only one celebrating since the Whites were coached by the Academy's Head Coach Dave Smythe and Program Manager Sharlene John.
Vic Yellows, Mitchell Saunders' team, finished third. They were also coached by Academy coaches, Andrew Fisher and Justine White.
In the girls' competition the Vic Blue team, captained by Chloe Street and coached by Steve Holder, finished second. Vic Whites, captained by Alix Porter, won bronze.
Victoria dominated in this years championships by winning gold, silver and bronze in the boys division and silver and bronze in the girls division. We had athletes in four of the teams and our coaches supported three of them as well. We congratulate them all, and especially to Steve Holder who received a service award from Volleyball Victoria.
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Selectors honour seven more volleyballers, 26 February 2008
State selectors have chosen five more Academy volleyballers into its Victorian Training Squads, now bringing the total number to 9.
Four successful squad members: Eliza Smith, Melissa
Clarke, Brodie Watts & Cass Hallam at a recent beach
volleyball display.
The successful players are Anna Williams (U16), Eliza Smith, Brodie Watts and Harley Atcheson (U17), and Cass Hallam, Susannah Ball and Melissa Clarke (U19). They join four others who were selected last week into the U15 squads: Chloe Street, Alix Porter, Max Rounds and Mitchell Sanders.
Members of the U17 and U19 squads will be in heavy training for the Australian Junior Championships in July. However, the final teams will be pared down to 10 plus four emergencies. The U15s will play their championships earlier, in April, and their teams were announced last week.
Selection into the State squads has been based on a rigorous selection process, so we congratulate the successful athletes on their determination and effort. We hope all are successful in their state team endeavours.
Ex-Academy players Jacob Lindgren (U19) and Danielle Stott (U21) were also selected. Danielle has continued to successfully play for Victoria and Australia since graduating from the Academy three years ago.
Last year Volleyball Victoria also appointed five Academy personnel to coach junior teams through to the Championships. They are David Smythe (Academy Head Coach), Steve Holder and Andrew Fisher (Coaches), Justine White (Assistant Coach) and Sharlene John (Program manager).
This is an outstanding achievement for the Volleyball program and we offer congratulations to all those selected.
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Academy four make Victorian team, 19 February 2008
Four of last year's Academy volleyball squad have been selected in the the Victorian U15 team.
They will compete at the Australian U15 Championships in Albury from 14 to 17 April.
The successful girls are Chloe Street and Alix Porter, and the boys are Max Rounds and Mitchell Sanders.
There were more than 130 entrants in the selection trials in December, with selections being made into the State Training Squad. Last Sunday, Volleyball Victoria announced its final team selection of 30 players from the Training Squad.
Congratulations to all four on their selection and for their hard work over recent months.
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Victorian squad roles for coaches, 13 December 2007
Five Academy volleyball coaches have been appointed to key coaching roles with Volleyball Victoria.
Our head coach David Smythe, and coaches Steve Holder and Andrew Fisher, will take up coaching positions with the U15 squads. In addition, trainee coach and former squad member, Justine White, along with long-serving program manager Sharlene John, will be assistant coaches to the squads.
The coaches have have previously been involved with Victorian teams.
At present, Volleyball Victoria are holding selection trials for the U15 squads, in a long lead up to the national championships in the middle of next year.
The appointment of our five coaching panel members is a recognition of their skills and achievements with junior players.
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Volleyball selectors pick three more, 10 December 2007
Three more volleyball players have been selected to attend national training camps this summer. They are Cate Jeffrey, Eliza Smith and Brodie Watts. They will be attending Volleyball Australia's training camp at Bendigo on 15-16 December.
Like their Academy team mate, Harley Atcheson, who was previously invited to a summer training camp, the three girls will be hopeful of being drafted into a national training squad next year. Once in the national squad, the opportunity to represent Australia in overseas competition will be offered to the most outstanding of them.
At present U15 volleyball trials are underway for State selection, and this provides another avenue by which young players may come to notice and advance into a national squad.
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Outstanding volleyball result in national event, 30 November 2007
Three Academy volleyball teams all played extremely well at last weekend's Good Neighbour Tournament at Canberra.
Competing against teams from all across Australia, our senior girls finished second, our junior girls were third, and junior boys were also second. Our team members support for each other, on and off the court, contributed greatly to their successful results.
Cass Hallam and Chloe Street played extraordinarily well and both narrowly missed winning the Most Valuable Player award. They both received the same number of votes as the award winner.
A Bairnsdale women's team comprising ex-Academy players Laura Nielsen, Jemi Spriggs, and Sally Deed, along with Program Manager Sharlene John, also finished amongst the medalists. The team finished top of their pool and undefeated, but were runners-up in the final
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Volleyballer vies for Australian selection, 30 October 2007
Sports Academy volleyballer Harley Atcheson is now close to Australian selection following his invitation to a national junior volleyball training camp in Bendigo early in December. The Australian Volleyball Federation runs a series of camps where it progressively grades and reduces the number of candidates and Harley has impressed selectors at previous camps held at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra.
The Bendigo camp is the last step, from which the Australian National Youth Team will be selected. The National Youth Team will play overseas matches next year.
Harley is one of the youngest candidates, still some months shy of his 16th birthday. However he already has the credentials to back up his claim for national selection. This year Harley was in the Victorian Secondary Schools team that won silver in the Australian Schools Championships held at Morayfield, Queensland. Harley played as a middle blocker and opposite hitter, gaining 90% court time and having little rest, and he played strongly in these positions.
The only team the Victorians didn't defeat was the home side Queensland but games against them were always close and the two teams played off for the gold medal. The Victorians came back from four points down to win the first set. The Queenslanders took a tight second set after a struggle and then went on to take out the gold medal in four sets, 3/1. Harley was selected as one of the Victorian's best players and was then honoured with a top six finish in the All Star12 for under 16 years players in Australia! This gives Harley his first National selection in the Australian Schools National team. Last year Harley was a member of the Victorian Volleyball Under 15 team that won the Australian Championships.
Following this event Harley competed for his home team Latrobe Valley in the State League Division 2 grand final. This match against Monash University was filled with exciting rallies and Harley played an important role as middle blocker, with his great height he was easily able to defeat the opposition attack many times. The Latrobe Valley team won gold in their first season and look forward to playing in division one next year.
If Harley makes the National Team he will be the third Gippsland Sports Academy athlete to do so, following in the footsteps of earlier Academy volleyball greats, Danielle Stott and Sally Deed.
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Volleyballers set themselves, 18 October 2007
The Gippsland Sports Academy's volleyball squad players are setting themselves for a major national tournament in Canberra later next month.
The Canberra event is the Good Neighbour Tournament where Academy players have competed successfully over the last 2 years. About 100 teams from around Australia are likely to be involved.
Since the squad's training season commenced two months ago players have been involved in a rigorous training program. In addition, last weekend, 18 squad members completed a Volleyball referees course. The course is and an essential for both game knowledge and being able to support and officiate during competitions.
High level training will continue this Saturday and Sunday when the volleyball athletes attend their second weekend training camp. A third weekend training camp will be held in early November, shortly before the Canberra tournament.
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