Volleyball: Tauranga Boys' eye hat-trick

STRONG DEFENCE: Otumoetai College set up a wall to block the shot of Nate Moore from Mount Maunganui College.PHOTO/FILE

Tauranga Boys' College are shooting for a hat-trick of boys' division one titles at the New Zealand Secondary School volleyball championships in Palmerston North this week.

But they do not have to look far to see their main threats.

Rotorua's Western Heights High School won the Bay of Plenty championships 3-0 over Tauranga recently, while Otumoetai College and Mount Maunganui College are also strong units.

In the girls' division one competition, Otumoetai College coach Stewart Henderson is taking nothing for granted as the top seeds from Tauranga chase a second title in three years, seeking revenge for their loss in last year's final to Waimea College Gold (Tasman).

Otumoetai beat Mount Maunganui College in the Bay of Plenty final recently, with Tauranga Girls' College third, and while they will all be potent forces Henderson says Auckland sides Orewa College and Westlake Girls' High could be tough to beat.

"You never know what the Auckland schools are going to come up with so we are always on our guard against teams like them," he said. "It's a pretty open tournament this year in terms of the top eight and there is always a team that comes through and upsets somebody. We have to prepare well for each match. We have to serve strongly, pass well and work on our all-round attack."

Otumoetai have lost setter Emma Bain with a broken ankle, but NZ under-19 player Kelcy Ballantyne has recovered from a broken finger and powerful outside hitters Jasmine Tawa and captain Kahla Tyson will be hard to contain.

"We have a very good middle attack, which a lot of teams don't have. Kelcy is a big influence in the middle," said Henderson.

A record 155 teams are playing in the week-long tournament, which is the biggest secondary schools indoor event in the country.