Volleyball: Western Heights seniors on cloud nine

Western Heights High School have claimed their ninth New Zealand Secondary Schools senior boys' title, out-playing Whakatane's Trident High School in the final.

After going into the tournament ranked fourth, Bay of Plenty champions Western Heights went through last week's event in Palmerston North unbeaten.

The Rotorua boys did not have it all their own way though, needing to dig deep in a two-and-a-half hour semifinal thriller against rivals Tauranga Boys' College.

After sharing the first four sets, Western Heights held their nerve to take the deciding set 16-14 and advance to the final.

Team manager and teacher Eugene Bogun said the semifinal was incredibly tense, with his side saving a late match point to tie the set up at 14-all.

"Then our main player Junior Taia stepped up and served two great serves to win it," he said.

The final was slightly more comfortable for Western Heights, who defeated Trident by three sets to one, 25-22, 25-22, 19-25, 26-24.

The showdown, in front of a large crowd, ended with a haka from both teams before the Rotorua side was presented with the Kohitere Shield.

"It was awesome," Bogun said.

Two of the team's stars - Taia and Talor Kahu - were rewarded for their strong performances with selection in the tournament team. Bogun said both players also stood a good chance of making the New Zealand under-19 team, with the side for a tournament in Myanmar to be named in the next two weeks.

Bogun said volleyball was traditionally popular at Western Heights. "It's always been a big sport. The boys play a lot during lunchtime, they're always in the gym," he said.

He said the team also had a dedicated coach in Paora Morrison, a teacher and former Western Heights volleyball player.

Bay of Plenty schools dominated the national tournament, with six of the eight semifinalists (three boys and three girls teams) coming from the province. The girls' title was won by Tauranga Girls' College who defeated Otumoetai College A in the final.

The winning Western Heights team was: Tiaan Flavell, Junior Taia, Chase Kennedy, Jacob Rakei, Zechariah Ropitini, Talor Kahu, Zack Bidois, Troy Wilson, Taylor Unsworth, Jordan Schuster.