THE success of the Kelso High School volleyball program took another step last month when the school’s boys’ team claimed the NSW Combined High Schools Knockout crown for the third time.

The girls team also broke new ground in finishing fifth, which is their highest placing since they started competing in the tournament.

Each of the sides qualified thanks to their wins in the Western Division Knockout, both of them beating Blayney on grand final day.

The Western Division event was completed early in term two, but the long break between competitions didn’t seem to hurt Kelso.

The basic format meant that provided you kept winning, you kept moving towards the championship game. On the flipside, a defeat meant teams went into other groups to play for ranking.

The boys’ side took on defending champions Rooty Hill High School in the final and were good enough to defeat them, dropping only one set.

In past years the girls’ team had not been close to the top five and coach Jerry Sheader couldn’t have been prouder of his players from both sides.

“The girls’ team only started playing together late in Year 9 and they’ve been spending hours practicing together on Thursday mornings to get to the level they have,” he said.

“There are five girls in that team who have represented Western and that experience played a key role in how well they performed.

“For the boys’, they defeated Sydney Boys High 3-0 to make the final and took out Rooty Hill 3-1, and that was the only set they dropped in the entire campaign.

“Everyone’s preparation was limited because the gym has been unavailable and there were some players in the boys’ team who had some injury problems, but despite the setbacks, their experience shone.

“The majority of the team has been together for six years and they represented Western at the last NSW carnival. There are a lot who have been to multiple national championships as well.”

The quality of the teams and their on-court play was matched by their sheer commitment according to Sheader. He praised the attitude of his players as well as the input of parents and teachers who have been involved along the way.

“The commitment all these kids have had over the last few years has paid off and I’m so proud of both of them and now we’re looking to train hard in the lead-up to the Australian Schools National Championships in Melbourne in December,” he said.

“It isn’t just the players who’ve done it either, the parents who have driven to numerous events on weekends, teachers who have come to tournaments in the last six years. Karah Armstrong, Sophie Tucker and Lauren Dean especially.

“Without their support, these sorts of achievements wouldn’t be possible at all.”