Australian Volleyball Schools Cup – Day 1 Sunday December 7

Teams from Australia and New Zealand have arrived on the Gold Coast today (7 December) for the opening day of the 41st Australian Volleyball Schools Cup.

Over the seven-day tournament, more than 540 teams across age groups 12-18 will hit the courts as they battle for national honours, school pride and a place in one of the country’s most loved junior sporting traditions.

After an electric opening ceremony that brought the schools together to officially commence the tournament, the first matches of the began. 

Blayney High School made the long journey from regional New South Wales to compete at this year’s Australian Volleyball Schools Cup, travelling with two teams and plenty of excitement. 

For students Megan and Lauren, the trip to the Gold Coast, and the scale of the event, has been a big moment for their small school.

“Blayney is a very small school, so it’s very exciting for us to be here,” Lauren said.

“We have 1 boys team and 1 girls team here, and this is the first time for us girls, but this is the fourth year for the boys.

“The atmosphere here is just incredible. It’s very exciting and a great opportunity to be here with all the schools.” 

“It’s definitely a mix of excitement and nerves ahead of our first game tomorrow,” Megan said. 

“It’s so different from anything we’ve seen before, and it’s been fun to cheer on the boys tonight – School Cup definitely lives up to the hype.”

For Queensland teams, playing in familiar surroundings has added an extra buzz to the week. Joshua and Masaki, from Kelvin Grove State College’s Honours Boys team, said the atmosphere and the stakes of the event make this year’s campaign especially meaningful.

“I think that the atmosphere of the Australian Volleyball Schools Cup is what makes it the next level compared to our state competitions,” Joshua said. 

“This is my 5th and final Schools Cup, and ever since the event last year I’ve been looking forward to this moment, and I’m pretty excited to play in our last one,” Masaki said.

“And definitely aiming to take home the gold medal at the end of this week.”

For all results from Day 1 and tomorrow’s draws, click here.