Volleyball
30 September, 2025
Horsham teams star at Junior Country Volleyball Champs
Horsham’s junior volleyball sides had a successful junior country championships over the weekend, held at Horsham Basketball Stadium and St Brigid’s College, Horsham.
Playing against teams from Geelong, Goulburn Valley, Macedon Ranges, South Gippsland, Sunraysia and Warrnambool, Horsham placed in five out of the six competitions.
Headlining the success was Horsham taking out the under-15 girls championship, coming back from a set down to defeat Macedon Ranges in the championship game.
Horsham under-15 boys pushed Sunraysia to five sets in the final before coming away with the silver medal.
The under-17s girls, under-17 boys and under-19 women’s Horsham teams each took out bronze medals.
Missing two key players, Horsham’s under-19 men’s fell agonisingly short of a bronze medal, going down 15-13 in a thrilling five-set game against Macedon Ranges.
At the conclusion of the championships, Horsham’s Paige Hemley was named Most Valuable Player of the under-19 women’s competition.
Along with Hemley, Clare Whyte (under 19 women), James Johns (under 19 men), Fletcher Hawken and Malakai Van Buuren (under 17 boys), Bonnie Grieger (under 17 girls), Gurshaan Singh Marwaha (under 15 boys) and Roan Prasad (under 15 boys), and Maci James and Stella Angue (under 15 girls) were named to the tournament’s All Star Seven in their respective classifications.
Additionally, Horsham’s Laelah Robertson was named referee of the tournament, while Rachel Reichelt was awarded the referee encouragement award.
David Berry, president of Volleyball Horsham and a key organiser of the championships, emphasised the great atmosphere of the championships, congratulating the Horsham sides and the volleyball community for the weekend.
“Couldn't be more proud of our teams, couldn't be more proud of Laelah and Rachel for receiving those referee awards and couldn’t be more prouder of the community that we've built here,” Berry said.
"The under-15 girls who got a gold medal were sensational.
"In the case of the under-19 girls, they lost three five-setters, which made a difference in them missing out on the gold medal match, but the toughness to be able to bounce back and win a bronze medal after that speaks volumes of their character."
In one of the stories of the championships, Goulburn Valley fielded teams at the junior country championships for the first time in 41 years, with their women’s side taking out the under-19 championship.
