Beach Schools Cup 2021

Last weekend, 14 Somerset College students hit the sands of Coolangatta Beach to contest the 2021 Beach Volleyball Schools Cup. This is an annual event, which attracted over 430 teams from schools all over Queensland, was the first time Somerset fielded teams in the competition.

For many of us the first time we had played volleyball on the beach. The games were played as a time limit, 3 x 8-minute sets with teams assigned to pool play before progressing to the playoff rounds.

The Intermediate and Senior Teams started on Sunday and found the early games tough as they adjusted to differences between the indoor and beach version of the game. However, as the day progressed our teams started to find their ‘beach legs’ and recorded wins against solid opposition. The intermediate team showed great improvement over the course of the two days and started to record consistent performances towards the end of the tournament. Both Senior Girls and Boys teams were also able to show great improvement and showed winning form even in the tough windy conditions.

The Junior team started their campaign on Monday and convincingly won every game in their pool play to advance to the semi final match against the top team from Craigslea Volleyball Academy. In a hard-fought match, the boys came through to advance to the final against The Gap. In the final, Somerset came back after their opposition started strongly and sent the match into a deciding third set. In the final set the scores were even until the very end when some strong serving decided the final score with Somerset coming away with the silver medal, an outstanding performance.

Well done to all of the students involved, the experience will help to develop your skills in volleyball over the coming years. Also, a big thank you to the parents who came and supported over the two days, your efforts were greatly appreciated.

See player Raiden Kyaw's recap in this week's Spartan Stream.