Volleyball: Confidence builds for women's team

Mauao Volleyball Club's women's team is among the top contenders at the national Volleyball Club Championships. Photo / Supplied

Stewart Henderson is not reading too much into the seedings at the New Zealand Club championships that begin in Tauranga today.

"I always take it one game at a time," said Tauranga Volleyball Club's women's team coach.

"Our first game is against [11th seeded] Scorpions from Dunedin - we have no idea what they are like as we've not played any of the southern teams."

Tauranga Women won the Midland Zone competition to qualify for the Northern Zone league where they were beaten in the final by Harbour Raiders. Harbour and Tauranga are seeded one and two at the nationals respectively.

After finishing runner-up to Harbour Raiders at last year's nationals, and playing the same team in the Northern Zone decider, what Henderson does know is that there is confidence in his team.

"We were a lot more positive about our performance this year than we were after the national final last year," he said.

Harbour went two up with Tauranga pulling back the third and leading 23-21 before fatigue set in and they lost 3-1.

That made it one game each over the season, but Henderson isn't going to think about the possibility of a decider at the nationals.

"Pool play will be tough. We've probably got the easier side of the draw, but having said that, no game is easy when the pressure is on at the nationals."

Mauao Volleyball Club has teams in division one in both the men's and women's competitions with the players looking to improve on the two bronze medal positions at last year's championship, according to club president Brendon-Ray Horlock. Both are seeded three.

"The men's team has produced consistent performances all season and enters the tournament as one of the favourites, losing the final of the Northern Zone in five sets to North Harbour," he said.

The men's team has been a strong contender at the national tournament since it first entered in 2012, but this year's team looks the strongest the club has produced.

"The women's team has been building all year and is starting to find its rhythm heading into the business end of the season," said Horlock.

"With an average age of 19 years, this young team, in only its second year of competition, is confident it will be able to compete with the best sides at this tournament."

The two Mauao teams boast 14 players who represented New Zealand in indoor or beach volleyball at various level in 2015 plus two others who were selected for national honours, but were unavailable.

There will be two Tauranga women's teams in the second division, with Tauranga's men's team in the men's division two competition.

This year's club championships is the first to include masters divisions, with six men's and three women's teams playing on Friday and Saturday.

The championships take place at ASB Arena, Baypark. Mauao's women's team play Massey at 8.45am today and the men's team face Pioneer at 9am. Tauranga women start their campaign against Scorpions at noon.