Mainland Volleyball Championships
By Steve Sharp | Posted: Thursday March 4, 2021
On Thursday 25 February OBHS left for Christchurch, to compete in the South Island ‘Mainlands’ volleyball competition.
Two teams (19 boys) and two coaches attended the 3 day event. The Blues were in div 1 and the whites (our development team) competed in div 2.
On Friday morning we had our first test against Marlborough Boys’. We started poorly as we adjusted to the new environment but improved vastly as the game went on. Young Isaiah Maole, our only Year 11, stepped up as a setter and we came back from 2 sets down to narrowly lose 3-2. A good lesson and wake up call for the boys.
We then came up against old foes Shirley Boys’. An outstanding display against last year's champions saw us smash them through the middle with Mikaele Vaeau, Connor Feist and Osasa Nielson-Caldwell hitting quicks and bringing big blocks. We finished them off, winning 3-0!
The 3rd game of the day provided a tough match up as we played a tidy Waimea Boys’, who had only played 2 games. Fatigue set in and we lost 3-0.
The whites got a lovely sleep in, with a 12pm game against St Thomas’s. A well-rounded display saw OBHS put them away easily with a 3-0 win. Unfortunately, their 2nd team defaulted and they had 2 duty 2 games at once and miss their second game of the day! However, a 7pm game allowed them to stay fresh and beat a tidy Central Southland side, 3-0.
Day 2 saw us play against the Canterbury number 1 seed, Riccarton High School. Perfect passing from Petelo Amato and Adrian Branzuela allowed setter Siosifa Pole to split the blocks and get our outside hitters Akelisi Tioti and Harry Devereux to thrive. A tight game in which we came from behind on multiple sets, the boys ‘clutched up’ and took the game 3-1. This set us up nicely, with only 1 game to win to get into the semi-finals.
After a big break, the boys couldn’t get out of first gear, for an 0-4 team. Our pool was really tough and incredibly tight. We lost it 3-0 and after count back narrowly missed out on the semis. Another good lesson for the boys to show up every game and not to take anything for granted.
The whites second day meant they had the King’s Scorchers side. A tough match up and challenging servers proved too much for them and we went down 3-0. It all starts with the pass! Next up was a very handy Christ’s College side, whose tall timber and big hitters provided a tough challenge. The boys fought hard, but in the end the power of Christ’s was too much and they lost a nail biter in 5 sets. Great effort from the boys and a complete performance that really showed strides. The final day saw them in a tight battle with Middleton Grange, a short but fast and well-drilled side who eventually outlasted them 3-0.
Our final game for the Blues and with level 2 covid restrictions in place, saw us destroy a solid StAC side. With D-hitter and Captain, Alex Boomer leading the way and winning 3-0.
Overall, an outstanding trip. With Nationals just over 2 weeks away, we have an awesome side, who can beat anyone on their day. Well done to all the lads and thanks to Simon Maole, who has been an absolute champion.
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