SUNRAYSIA volleyball sides will look to replicate, or even surpass, their most recent medal hauls when they return to the Volleyball Victoria Country Championships.
The Division 1 men’s and Division 2 women’s squads won bronze medals last year on their home deck at the Mildura Sporting Precinct, and this year will aim to be around the mark in the Latrobe Valley.
The men’s side is set to be stronger this time, with Sunraysia Volleyball alum Lachlan Scherger set to pull on the uniform while back on home soil from Camosun College in Canada.
Men’s teams in divisions 2 and 3 will also compete for Sunraysia this long weekend.
SVI president Lachlan Giles, a member of the Division 1 side, said the whole travelling squad was looking forward to the challenge.
“Usually we have five teams or maybe six but the longer travel this year means we have a few less players,” he said.
“Our two best bets will likely be our Div 1 men again, and the Div 2 girls I reckon could perform pretty well. They have a really good mix of experienced players with some newer girls in there as well.
“Lachlan Scherger is home and he’s looking in pretty good shape at the moment too, so that will be a big boost for us.”
The country championships often bring out the competitive nature of the state’s regional outfits.
“The Latrobe teams will be hard to beat on their home court, but across the board it looks like a pretty strong competition,” Giles said.
“It’s a small community, country volleyball, so we all know each other and all have that competitive edge against each other.
“We want to beat the best teams, it’s why we all play.”
The Volleyball Victoria Country Championships run from Saturday to Monday across venues in Traralgon, Churchill and Morwell.
