IT was a strong start for the Raiwai Rebels team in the Rooster Chicken Volleyball Grassroot Development Festival (End of the year tournament) as they emerged victorious on day one.
Their first match saw them defeat the Tribal Risk team in two sets, with scores of 25-7 and 25-20 held at the FMF Gymnasium in Suva yesterday.
The tournament, spanning two days, is aimed at uplifting the standard of volleyball across Fiji and engaging emerging talent.
Head coach Gade Gonevakarua expressed satisfaction with the team’s performance, especially considering their limited preparation time of just one week leading up to the competition.
“Our preparation coming to the competition was not long, we had 1 week to train and prepare the team for this competition,” said Gonevakarua.
“The boys are based in Raiwai area, very young and talented players, proud of our first win today (yesterday).
Despite facing strong opposition from Tribal Risk, particularly in the second set, the Rebels displayed a fighting spirit throughout the match.
“It was a good match, our opponent Tribal Risk was a good, they came in strong in the second set always beaten us, but I thank the boys for the fighting spirit till the end.
Gonevakarua highlighted areas for improvement, such as communication and player rotation.
“We have few things to improve on especially our communication; we also have a solid team so we will be keeping the players in rotation and let everyone have a chance to play.”
The ultimate goal is to prepare the players for potential representation at national level tournaments, with a focus on continuous improvement.
The coach expressed gratitude to the team and supporters for their dedication and encouragement, emphasising the importance of teamwork and perseverance in achieving success in the competition.
The competition will conclude today.
