PDSSSC 2023 Second Medalist Junior Boys Volleyball

This year I had the pleasure of coaching the following players: Michael Azzi, Sean Bernardo, Marcus Liao, Elijah Moloney, Shaun Christian, Joshua Lowe, Aaron Forneste, Richard Tannous and Udhay Nagra alongside our supportive manager Jerome Chin.

Together we started our season with a promising start against St Agnes Catholic High School with a competitive game resulting in a win of 53-43. 

Our next game came against Santa Sophia Catholic College where we achieved a 65-32 win showcasing our ability to implement our skills obtained through Wednesday’s practice. Due to having a smaller competition we came against Santa Sophia Catholic College again before our final series where we once again conceded with a win of 57 to 39 points taking the lead within the Pool B competition as undefeated minor premiers. 

Our final series consisted of three games against the Pool A competition. In our quarter finals we were up against St John Paul II Catholic College, this game constituted of the 1st of Pool B against the 4th of Pool A. We took home the win with an end result of 81-44 sending our team to the semi-finals. Our semi final was against St Gregory’s College, a strong side who composed themselves well throughout the game. It was a close game with scores only 4 to 5 points out at half time. By the end of the game we had managed to get ahead in the second half with a final score of 68-47. 

And so came the Grand Final. Originally set for Term 1 Week 10 but unfortunately due to weather was pushed to Term 2 Week 1. This created some challenges for the team but regardless we competed well in the conditions given. We started with the sun in our eyes, our court larger than normal to what we were used to and the net set at its appropriate net height. We also had to face the challenge of regaining our team’s rhythm again through clear communication for the ball and performing our set plays. It took some time to transition but the boys did well to continue to show persistence throughout their game, I am proud of their efforts. 

Unfortunately we started the first half behind by 13 points making the comeback a hard challenge. Nevertheless, the team continued to persevere throughout the second half trying their best to play the advantage of the sunlight and winds facing their opponents. In the end our mistakes outweighed the will and determination of the boy’s hard effort. We did manage to close the distance between the points with only a 9 point difference, resulting in the final score of 68-59. A victory for Maronite College of the Holy Family and a second place for St Andrews College.

This was a great achievement from the boys and well deserved for their efforts throughout the season. I would like to thank the following people who have allowed our team to succeed this season. Firstly, a big thankyou to our team manager/referee Jerome for always taking the time to help the team develop their skills and by volunteering each game to the referee, it was highly appreciated. I would also like to thank Miss Malonzo, Miss Bade and their teams for allowing the boys the opportunity to practise with them to improve their skills and for their support throughout our season from the setting up of the court, to the pep talks before our game and the karaoke bus rides home. Lastly, I would like to thank Dr Kennaugh and Miss Nikitovic for their support this season in ensuring that our teams have the best resources available to practise and perform in our representative volleyball competition. It was a pleasure to be part of the Volleyball squad for 2023.

Miss Breeze 

Junior Boys Volleyball Coach 2023