Homegrown volleyballers in mix for state title
THE kids are coming for the fight. For the first time in the history of the Alliance Safety Equipment North Queensland Cup, the region’s best school-age volleyball players have set their sights on the crown.
The annual Cup, which returns to the court after a COVID-19 hiatus last year, brings together teams from across regional Queensland.
But it will be the homegrown talent in our schools that players should be wary of according to Northern Monsoons president Luke Calleja.
The NQ School Sport sides will contest the men’s and women’s competitions with several of Townsville’s exciting young hitters and setters in the mix.
Benson Emery and Cooper Whaling will be in the NQ schoolboys side while Gianna Mapula and Anneke Everson will line up for the girls. Calleja said the tournament would double as the perfect launch-pad for the school sides as they aim up for the state championships next month.
“To my knowledge this is the first time they have been involved in the Cup,” he said. “We are happy to have them in because they are the best and brightest young talent in North Queensland.”
The NQ Cup will be the first major tournament for the Monsoons that incorporates men’s, women’s and mixed competition since the pandemic.
Almost 20 teams will come from across the state to play in the three divisions.
Calleja said the representative volleyball program in Townsville was still in its infancy but expected the side to be competitive against some of the bigger regions.
The tournament will run across Saturday and Sunday at the Townsville Stadium with first games at 8am.