This year, five students represented St Columba Anglican School at the Australian Beach Volleyball Schools Cup held on Queensland’s Gold Coast. The event was well attended, with teams from all over Australia competing and 24-30 teams in each division.
Year 8 student Matthew Olsen represented a combined SCAS/Manly team in the Year 9/10 Boys Pairs. In the pool round stages, Matthew assisted his team to three wins, registering just a single nail-biting loss in three sets. Unfortunately, Matthew’s teammate became injured throughout the competition and his team was forced to withdraw from the event after qualifying for the top eight quarter-final stage.
Year 12 students Laura Reynolds and Kiera Johnson represented SCAS in the Year 11/12 Girls Pairs. The girls played solid Volleyball throughout the competition, with all of their games being tightly contested. The girls pushed some of the highly ranked teams, although narrowly missed out on qualification for the top eight finals. They finished with three wins, with the highlight being their final game of the event where the girls managed to fight off four match points before winning a three set epic. Their final placing was 11th.
Year 12 student Andrew “AJ” Olsen and Hayden Johnson of Year 10 represented SCAS in the Year 11/12 Boys Pairs. The boys won all four of their pool games comfortably in straight sets, including two wins against Volleyball Academy teams. Unfortunately, the boys played their worst game in the quarter-final, losing a tight game to a strong Queensland team and missed the opportunity to play for a medal. On the final day, AJ and Hayden won their two remaining games to finish in 5th place.
The students were inspired by the presence of their former SCAS mentor and Volleyball Olympian, Mr Dave Beard, who attended the event in his capacity as Head Coach of the Australian Volleyball Academy. Mr Beard made time to watch the progress of the SCAS group and was complimentary with the quality of their play.
Each student enjoyed the experience, made some great memories, found new friends and represented SCAS with distinction. Congratulations to all athletes!
