Volleyball Horsham started the senior tournament in the best possible way with the open girls beating The Grange and Kew on day one, while the open boys had an amazing win against Surf Coast Sharks, coming from 4-15 down in the first set to record a three set win.
Assistant coach Casey Quick said day two was a different story for the girls, who lost all three games.
“But it wasn’t all that bad for the girls. They were right in every set they played against all three opponents, but couldn’t quite maintain their consistency in each game,” she said.
A win over Nunawading was all that was needed on day three to grab fourth spot and a shot at gold, which the team was able to achieve, setting up a gold medal qualifier against Dandenong.
Their opponents were just too good, relegating them to the bronze medal match and a rematch against McKinnon College.
In a powerful display the girls won the first set 25-11 on the back of aggressive serving and smart play as their shellshocked opponents continued to error.
Quick said the start of the second set was completely the opposite, with McKinnon jumping the girls and opening a 9-2 lead.
“To the girls’ credit they didn’t panic and were able to claw their way back into the set. At 19-19, up stepped Lucinda Ferguson who blocked their power-hitter and you could see the girls lift and they were able to hold their nerve, eventually winning 26-24 and taking a well-earned bronze,” she said.
The bronze complemented the team’s silver from last year’s event, and with the majority of the team eligible to play in 2025, that elusive gold is still a possibility.
The attention then turned to the under-16 girls who were playing in their first junior open and were given a warm welcome by Methodist Ladies College in their first game, going down in straight sets.
Coach Matt McLoughlin said the team then recorded strong wins over Eltham, 2-1, and Upwey, 3-0, to end day one, which gave the girls much-needed confidence going into day two.
“That’s what we thought, but they couldn’t get warm against Kew and were blown off the court in a performance that left the coaching group scratching their heads, wondering what just happened,” he said.
With the team sitting at two wins and two losses with two games remaining, a win was needed over Monbulk to keep in touch with second spot on the ladder, as MLC was well clear on top.
McLoughlin said after dropping the first set to Monbulk 23-25, things weren’t looking all that flash.
“To the girls’ credit they dug deep and won the second set 25-22 on the back of great work initially from Bonnie Grieger and then from 22-22 Serena Johns, who were both strong on serve,” he said.
Another close contest in the third set saw the girls come out on top, giving them a chance at that coveted second spot, but there was still work to do with a final game against Maribyrnong the next morning.
After losing the first set 24-26 in controversial circumstances, the girls took the second set 25-23 to tie the match at one set and 49 points each.
The third went point-for-point, but the girls got to 13-11 before time was called and a memorable win resulted.
They had to sit back and wait for the final game between Monbulk and Kew, with a win to Kew possibly relegating the girls to third, while a win for Monbulk would keep the girls in second spot.
Monbulk won the game amid scenes of happiness from the Horsham team, and they set themselves for a rematch with MLC in the gold- medal match.
McLoughlin said while the first set went the way of MLC, 25-8, it did not phase the team.
“Up stepped Ilze Van Zyl who found her groove on serve and before you knew it the girls had opened a lead of 13-3 on their opponents. Then when Hannah Gabbe and Ilze blocked out their best hitter you could see the whole team lift, and the girls took the second set 25-20 pushing the game into a deciding set,” he said.
The team carried that momentum into the first half of the third set opening an 8-4 lead when the teams changed ends.
“Unfortunately, with the change of ends came a change of fortunes and the MLC girls won the third set 9-15,” McLoughlin said.
“To take a silver medal at this event in division one is no mean feat, and the coaching group were all proud of the girl’s efforts throughout the three days.”
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