Nationals beckon

There will be seven excited Volleyball Horsham members on Saturday as they prepare to fly to the Gold Coast for the 2018 National Junior Volleyball Championships.

Laelah Robertson, Will Saligari, Cleo and Lloyd Baker, Tuskan Mcalpine, Tamikah Dockrill and Kara Johnson have a big week ahead of them as members of Team Victoria.

They will try to wrest the President’s Cup away from the mighty Queenslanders, who have had a mortgage on the prized trophy for the past five years.

Robertson returns to the Victorian Blue team after missing her opportunity last year due to a finger injury.

The talented spiker has taken all before her since returning from the USA in June and forced her way into the first six on the back of a solid block of training.

Robertson will play as an opposite and her team will be out for redemption after being beaten by Queensland in the gold-medal match last year.

Saligari also returns to the Victorian West team after missing selection last year. The high-leaping youngster has improved his overall game in the past 12 months and will be in the mix for a first-six position.

Saligari has enjoyed a breakout season, being a member of the Horsham men’s division-two goldmedal country championship team as well as the Phantoms men’s division-three gold-medal winning state league team.

Cleo Baker will compete at her third nationals after two years in an under-15 program and will play as a passer hitter in the Vic West under-17 team.

The hard-hitting Baker has continued to improve and will be a key starter for the team, which is coming off a bronze medal last year.

Three new members will participate for the first time at the nationals.

Dockrill will play for the Victorian White under-19 girls team as a key middle blocker. The athletic spiker has improved in leaps and bounds over the course of this year and deserves her spot in the starting six.

Her team will be pushing for a spot in the bronze-medal match and will make life tough for a lot of the other states.

Dockrill will also be looking forward to playing against the Thailand national junior team at noon on Wednesday.

Murtoa College young guns Lloyd Baker and Mcalpine will both play in the Victorian West under-15 boys team.

Baker has taken his opportunities over the course of the program by playing and training as much as he can. As the tallest player in his team he will be a starting-six player and will be a key for his team.

Mcalpine will play a key role as an opposite and his biggest strength is his blocking, which will be crucial for his team’s success.

Coaching opportunity

Johnson will be attending her third nationals as an assistant coach of the Victorian West under-17 girls team.

Johnson has a great understanding of the key stats of the game and is universally loved and respected by her team.

Her experience and knowledge will help her team as they try to break through for that muchsought-after gold medal.

Competition at this year’s nationals starts on Sunday night and concludes with medal matches the following Saturday.