The Auckland Secondary Schools Volleyball championships took place at Bruce Pulman Arena this year, which meant a long drive for each of the three days of competition. The teams used this time to mentally prepare for the games ahead, by listening to the various artists that kids these days are in to.

Both teams got to play two games each day and were normally close to each other, so we were able to watch each other play and support the Kotuku as best as we know how. From what we saw of the girls games, they were very competitive in division 2, winning a couple while losing a few. Faith was always leading from the front with her power hitting and accurate passes. The girls played in good spirits and a special mention must go out to their coach,Taito Aisake, who gave of his time to be there and support the team.

The boys, whom I was with throughout the tournament, were competitive in every single game we played. We seemed to enjoy giving our opposition a sizable head start, before we tried to chase them down. The kind of gameplan that infuriates the average coach and raises blood pressure. We were able to chase down and win against a few teams, but some we fell just short. Lorenzo was nigh unstoppable, hitting from the middle position after being set up by Liam. Imran was running a master class on how a Libero should play. All in all, everyone contributed to a pretty solid performance overall.

Sadly, we are saying goodbye to a large proportion of our senior players next year as they move on from flying in the V-formation. A rebuilding time in Volleyball is definitely in our immediate future.