New Changes in Junior A Boys and girls ..a historical perspective
Under age sport rarely stays the same and the 2024 National Junior finals brought plenty of change, some of it very historic.
No more so in the shift at the very top of Junior A girls and boys.
When volleyball drifted in with the returning United Nations troops from the Congo into the Irish army in the 1960s Irish schools were in a very different place. If you wanted to do a 5 year course for the Leaving cert you were very likely to be going to a religious run single sex secondary school called a voluntary school. At the same time as the troops returned, some schools were hiring P.E. teachers trained in England, although army or ex-army men did provide physical education to the schools as well. As awareness of volleyball crept in, some orders of nuns began to have competitions between their own schools, with the Presentation order leading the way. But soon girls volleyball in convent schools was established on a countrywide level in the late 1960s.
For many an aspiring leaving cert they had to go to boarding school and this meant a lot of the early winners in girls volleyball had a boarding section. Certain nuns stood out, particularly Sr. Cabrini in Presentation Thurles who became secretary, as well as a very successful coach, in the 1970s. As time went on, with the drop in vocations, the new religious model became the Community school or the amalgamated mixed secondary school. And in the 1980s another nun came to the fore Sr. Bosco who spearheaded the huge success of the amalgamated St.Raphaels, who have by far the most girls finals in Junior A from when records were kept in the late 1980s. It was 1999 before Portmarnock Community school became the first non-voluntary school to reach the Junior A girls final.
In 2002 St Brigids Loughrea became the first state school (VEC, now ETB) to reach the Junior A girls final. But despite 3 more appearances by Brigids and one by Portlaoise College, only the voluntary/religous schools had ever won the Junior A title right up to last year 2023… a list of 39 winners! Now in 2024, finally, Portlaoise college became the first ever non voluntary school to win the Junior A title. Congratulations to the Ollie Hally, promoting volleyball in his school since the late noughties and of course to his team that won this historic win with a very high standard of play.
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The history of boys playing volleyball in schools took a totally different history . A tradition of volleyball playing took place in the woodwork training college in Wexford in the 1960s and 1970s and it was brought to many vocational schools from there. VEC leagues were known to have taken place in Dublin, Sligo and Louth for example. In 1987 there was a demand in amalgamated secondary schools that boys volleyball should be established on a national level. By 1994 when Junior Boys started, VEC schools had joined these competitions and it was fitting that the very first final was between St Raphaels College (mixed) Secondary school and Drumshanbo Vocational. It was not until the 12th final that a single sex boys school, Michaels Listowel played (and became the only single sex school winner ever)
So the breakdown in the winners reads 13 VEC/ETB, 9 mixed voluntary, 3 community, 1 boys voluntary. Now to that we add Sutton Park, the first feepaying school to win Junior A boys.
The breakdown for finalists reads 26 VEC/ETB, 12 mixed voluntary, 7 community 2 boys voluntary, 4 fee paying schools (2 mixed ) and now to that we add Castleknock , the first fee paying boys school. You can see that the free state (ETB)schools have dominated with both from that sector even last year. But this year we had 2 fee paying schools 1 mixed, 1 boys – a completely new trend!
Junior schools Volleyball finals 2024: Dramatic change in A
Junior A Girls:
Portlaoise break double new ground
Portlaoise college became the first ever non voluntary school to win the Junior A Girls title. (see history above) Congratulations to the Ollie Hally, promoting volleyball in his school since the late noughties, and, of course, to his team that won this historic win with a very high standard of play. It is Portlaoise College’s first A title in girls.
Portlaoise College beat Presentation Kilkenny 25-14 28-26
It may have been a change of type of school winning but there is no doubt this final was as high class as many great finals of the past
The spiking and serving was first class as Portlaoise raced ahead 11-3, 17-7 and 23-11 in set 1. But Presentation Kilkenny arrived in set 2. It was so tight. At various times each school led and the set was level 12 times. When Kilkenny led 13 -10 Portlaoise were just defending valiantly. Then after 21-21 Kilkenny raced to 24 -set point. It was then that Portlaoise showed the utmost composure, saving 4 set points and they finally served and spiked their way to victory against their very worthy opponents.
Portlaoise girls Gold Medalists: Katerina Kolesnikova, Olivia Reynolds, Akvile Kazbaraite, Zuzanna Sokolowska, Maja Warmuz, Olga Kozakiewicz, Aoibhínn Grundy, Freya Stanley (Captain and MVP), Leigh Sheridan
Kilkenny Presentation: silver medalists Milica Dimitrijevic (Captain), Emily O Rourke, Maria Clara Souza, Sally Power, Iona McCarthey, Nikola Ruthkiewicz, Grace O Shea Whelan, Zuzanna Sobocinska, Olivia Giesko, Sahasra Ghanta, Rachel Power, Ena Hickey
Coaches: Lisa Carey & Kate McDonald – two former students of St Brigid’s College Callan who won Cadette & Senior A titles under the tutelage of Marie Louise Briody. (2004 – 2010)
In 2023, Presentation Kilkenny won Junior B and Senior C titles. Also reached Junior C final in the same year. Lisa Carey says that this has been greatly attributed to the foundation of the Kilkenny Spartans Volleyball Club in Kilkenny where many of their students now play.
Portlaoise beat Pipers Hill Naas and Our Ladys Bower Athlone in the last 6
Kilkenny beat Sutton Park 2-1 and St. Brigids Loughrea 2-0 in the last 6
Junior A boys (cup):
Dublin breakthrough made by Sutton
It’s hard to believe it. Sutton Park became the first ever Dublin school to win the Junior A volleyball title. Schools from 26 counties can enter this competition. It took 27 years for this first ever Dublin win! Sutton also broke the deadlock for a substantial minority as well, becoming the first fee paying school to make the break through, (see history below)
Sutton Park have come up the slow way. They have very slowly come up through the A ranks. They reached a first A semi-final over 5 years ago. Working hard at progress, they still found themselves beaten by Drumshanbo at all 3 A boys ages in the first COVID return year, just 2 years ago but they surprisingly they turned that Junior year around to reach the Junior A final becoming only the 2nd feepaying school to reach the Junior boys final (St.Kilians Deutsche Schule Clonskeagh 1996) and the first Dublin school to reach the Junior A boys final for 24 years. Last year they reversed the results at all 3 ages with Drumshanbo! This year has been sensational for them in boys. They reached their first senior A boys final. They won their first cadette A boys title. Behind all this progress was their long time coach Niamh O’Hare. Unbelievably Niamh could not attend the historic cadette win in January as she was recovering from a hip operation. But gladly she was there for the Junior A final when Sutton Park made the Dublin breakthrough.
Sutton Park Dublin beat St. Vincents Castleknock 25-21 26-24
This was a great close final. Sutton, calm and steady went 9-4 ahead but Castleknock brought it back to 10-8 and were still close at 17-14. Sutton stretched it to 21-15 but Castleknock edged back 21-18 and even closer at 23-21, but methodical Sutton kept ahead.
Castleknock came back with a vengeance in the 2nd set. The taller Vincents boys raced 13-4 ahead with spikes, flicks, aces, good reactions and blocks. Sutton with 3 aces and great defence came back to 13-9 behind. But Castleknock, remaining their calm selves, kept ahead 20-13. Amazingly Sutton Park, with placed serves and eventually, (with Castleknock sending back easier balls,) with spike winners, went ahead 22-20 and 24-21. A spike and ace got Castleknock level at 24-24 but Sutton aced the final serve.
Sutton Park gold medalists Juan Carlos Corral (Captain), Oscar Cunningham, Ryan Collender, Cesar Longo, Luke Flanagan, Conor Eustace, Gabriel de Vries (set 2), Shaobo Ma, Benjamin Lewandowski, Zac Farrelly, Neel Sahni, Martin Zhuang, assistant coach Matthew Taylor (for the past 6 years!)
The St Vincent Castleknock panel that brought the school to their first A volleyball final was
Killian McGivern, Matthew O’Ceallaigh, Brian Whelan, Sean Duffy, Patrick Kealy, Daragh MacMhaoinigh, Daniel Browne, Cillian Reilly, James Hall, James Mallon, Cillian Reilly, Jack Rodriguez
Coach :Dominic Little
Vincents, brand new last year, got their 2nd team to the Junior B final. This year they have already won the Cadette B title. Now they have broken through in A. Not a bad start!
Sutton Park Dublin beat Patrician High Carrickmacross 27-25 25-20 in the semi final
Castleknock beat Mountrath 25-8 25-8 and Drumshanbo 25-9 19-25 25-9 in the quarters/semis
Junior B boys (Shield):
Grange retain title
Grange Community College Donaghmede Dublin beat Pipers Hill College Naas 25-21 25-15
Grange appeared in schools’ volleyball briefly in the early 1990s but their 2nd coming in the past 5 years had yielded finals in boys and girls. Last year Grange won their first ever boys title when they won this title. But this year’s final was in a different class. Pipers were a very good side and still, in the end Grange, from about 5-5 in set 1, pulled ahead and all one could think was “is this really a B final?” the serving and hitting was certainly A standard from Grange and I would think they would have troubled many an A side. With 2 years success together, we will surely see a strong Grange at older ages if all can stay together. Well done to all the team and their Coach Jennifer O’Buachalla. Grange are still the only Dublin school to ever win this Junior B (Shield) Title
For Pipers Naas, phase 3 is getting stronger and stronger. Under their previous name (St. Patricks), Pipers were in the very first senior A boys final in 1988. In 2010 and 2011 they appeared in the senior B and then the Senior A finals. But this time they are competing everywhere, winning last year’s cadette B boys and unlucky not to reach this year’s senior B final. Again, their performance was very strong and they were unlucky to have to meet a very talented Grange side in the final. Pipers are the first boys team from Kildare to get to a Junior Boys final. Kildare schools have been in Junior finals for 13 of the last 14 years, but this is the first time that they have been solely represented by Pipers.
Grange Players: Gold medalists: Michael Connors, Gabriels Nielands, Jayden Hoey, James O’Connor, Patryk Rekas, Ryan Grant, Jason-Li Truong, Adam Szeiler, Jude Patton, Francesca Nasuti (captain and MVP), Benny Piber.
Coach Jennifer was assisted by Aleks Vilhemov
Jennifer said she was ”Very proud of how far the boys have come from their very first matches in January. Their hard work and consistency in training has really paid off!”
Pipers Hill: Silver medalist: Breno Tavanti (Captain), Miguel Santos, Tiago Indelicato Cunha, David Deka, Cillian Malone, Audric Sidi, Jason Alex Ichu (set 2) and Ryan McNulty, Rian Doorley, Lucas Alcarria, Parker Minanko, Chimdi Alex Ichu
Coached by Emer Hegarty and assisted by Cian Farrell
Pipers Naas beat Kiltimagh Mayo 25-20 25-21 and beat Galway ETTS 18-25 25-21 21-19 in the last 6
Grange Donaghmede beat Ardee C.S. Louth and Presentation Patrician Fethard in the last 6
Junior B girls
Rockford Manor’s First Junior
Rockford Manor Blackrock Dublin beat Coláiste Bhaile Chláir Claregalway 25-22 25-15
Rockford Manor, the newest school to have reached a senior A final back in 2020, broke into the finals scene in 2017 and have managed to reach a national final every year but one since. They looked every part an experienced school at the start of this Junior B final when their serves blew the opposition away to lead 10-2. But Claregalway had one very deep bit of experience on the sideline. This very recent addition to schools’ volleyball had coach Melissa Barrett, who under her mum Mary, had seen and played with Brigids Loughrea, in one of their great runs 2008/2011. And the Baile Cháir girls, once they were receiving more ordinary serves, passed, set and hit again and again to trail 9-14 and getting the lead at 19-18. Only a heroic defense finally got the serve back to the Dubs. Even then the Galway girls hit well and they may count themselves unlucky as an injury time out may just have broken their momentum at 22-22.
The loss of the set seemed to affect Claregalway as the very impressive attack of the first set just never came back. Rockford Manor just kept the ball in play with calm care, but they had the best servers and strung together a huge number of aces that were of A standard.
Rockford Manor panel Sofia Ferreyrola (Captain), Sara Williams Julie Asencio, Adonia Mariam Soji, Julianna Ferreysola, Olivia Salvesh, Maryia Lamaka, Maja Zatylna, Sinead Bautista (MVP), Gemma Farrelly Spain, Mary Tracey Aliyah Zaman. Coach – Jana Langford
Jana says she started coaching them last year when they were all new to volleyball except Sofia was with Dalkey Devils V. C. With Jana’s encouragement, Maryia, Maja and Sinead have since joined Dalkey. Jana Adds “Our preparation focused on strong serve, return and mental skills. Girls were asked to do positive visualisations – imagining the sports hall full of people, noise and lights, executing all skills perfectly and celebrating together as a team.” But “There is still much we need to work on in terms of 3 touches and transitions but I think overall it’s a very promising team and I look forward to seeing them playing and enjoying volleyball in the future.” She adds that the school is very much supporting and prioritising volleyball as a sport.
Claregalway Panel, Sadie Noone (Captain), Emma Forde, Orlaith Fahy, Ella Keavey, Michaela Power, Amolika Choudhury, Sofia Bueno, Isabel Fenwick, Michaela Grealish, Martyna Zalisko, Áine O’Toole and Lucy Concannon
Assistant Coach: Ciara Fergus
Rockford beat Presentation Athemry and Presentation Fethard in the last 6
Baile Chlár beat Mountrath Community School and St. Leos College in the last 6
Junior C girls:
St Brigid’s College Loughrea Galway B beat Scoil Chríost Rí Portlaoise A 25-21 20-25 15-12
Well, as Melissa Barrett took her team off after very first coaching All Ireland, on came surely, the lady with the most experience in coaching in a schools volleyball final, Melissa’s Mum Mary. And where is she most successful of all? : With her second string teams where she has a phenomenal number of titles. (see note below) The Junior C girls competition goes way back to the 80s but just as Mary’ Brigids was reaching finals at all ages in all grades the Junior C was stopped from after 2003 until it restarted in 2022. So unbelievably this was a rare final that Brigids had not been in before.
Facing them was Scoil Chíost Rí. Chíost Rí are a welcome return into volleyball since COVID, having been a strong force in the 1980s. Indeed, they just began to withdraw from volleyball around the time Brigids made their debut in 1992/93. They won a girls senior B All Ireland in 1989 which was long before any of the other schools contesting this year girls Junior finals joined volleyball!
This was a game of huge swings. Brigids surged 12-5 ahead Portlaoise fought back to 9-13 and 15-19 with spike winners but Loughrea hit 3 aces to take set 1.
Set 2, after trailing 2-5, Portlaoise had their best period of the match with 10 serves in a row. Again, Loughrea aces narrowed the lead from 7-14 down to 14-16. Portlaoise threw in some volley winners to lead 20-14 but Brigids fought back to just one behind at 20-21 but this time Portlaoise aced to victory.
Portlaoise started well in the final set but a technical foul early on seem to disturb them and Brigids raced to 8-1 ahead at the turn of ends!. Portlaoise made another great come back to level 11-11 but the effort proved too much and the steady Galway girls held on to victory.
Brigids Loughrea :Gold Medalists; Neasa Coen, Ava Coone, Chloe Coughlan, Grace Cunniffe, Nicole Donelon, Anna Pop, Jaagriti Thakur, Eva Haverty, Ema Spisakova, Vanessa Madden, Natalia Makowska, Anzella Gruzite
Coach Mary Barrett, assistant Coach Ava Conerney
Mary says “It is the first time I have ever put a first-year girls’ team into the Junior competition, It is always second years”
Scoil Chríost Rí Portlaoise: silver medalists Salma Valentine (Captain and MVP), Rosalia Jacob, Anastazja SerejWilk, Tutu Olatunbosun, Zuzanna Giers, Annarose Scully, Ellie Tuohy, Shammah Fajemiyo, Rachel Kelly, Sarah Donoghue, Mila Mihajovic, Ruby Coyle
Coach – David McEvoy Assistant coach – Maria Wright.
David says that this is the same panel that won Junior D gold last year. Having only restarted in 2002 David says interest is so high that they have to run trials.. and they still ended up with 4 teams!
Brigids beat Cross and Passion, Kilcullen, Kildare and Eureka, Kells, Meath in the last 6
Portlaoise SCR beat St. Louis Dundalk and Scoil Muire Strokestown, Roscommon in the last 6
Meanwhile Mary Barrett’s record in just Junior!
St Brigids Loughrea: Junior medals
A girls : 4 finals
A boys: 13 finals 8 gold
B girls: 5 finals (1 with B team), 3 gold (1 with B team),
B boys: 15 finals (13 with B teams, 8 gold ( 6 with B teams)
And now C girls : 1 final (1 with B team) some record !
Junior D Girls:
Coachford College A beat Scoil Chríost Rí Portlaoise C 25-6 25-12
Unbelievably Portlaoise led 4-1 in set 1 but then Coachford hit 20 in a row with no serve missed. It wasn’t all aces, as many of the points had rallies but Coachford were very nimble around the net.
Set 2 started the same way but this time Coachford’s serve won most of the points to 8-0. Finally a good memory for Portlaoise was the next period. They scored 7 points and caused problems with their serve. But missing serve at 7-10 allowed Coachford reassert themselves on their own serve and, unlike the close final they won 2 years ago, they dominated to the end and look C standard for next year. When Coachford won 2 years ago they were the first Cork finalist in Junior girls since St. Mary High, Midleton in 2002.
Coachford gold medalists Sarah Foley (Captain), Roisin O’Malley, Niamh O’Malley, Grace O’Brien, Aisling Ring, Juliette Looney, Tegan Donohue, Iseult Thanry, Milly Bullman
Coaches were Edward Williamson and Belinda Stout
Edward informed me that Róisín and Niamh are twins and their 2 sisters won D gold 2 years ago. Some family! Also that Coachford had some very close games on the way to the final
Chríost Rí Portlaoise silver medalists Alannah Murray (Captain) Adella Jacob Gerda Darguzyte Emily Neilon Precious Nhleko Aifric Hennessy Annie Grant Cliona O’Flanagan Olivia O’Flanagan Amanda Galli Amanda Galli Olivia Puciato Isabella Hickey all first years!
Coach – David McEvoy, Assistant coach – Maria Wright
Coachford beat Ard Scoil Muire Ballinasloe, Galway and Mount Carmel, Kings Inn St., Dublin in the last 6
Portlaoise SCR beat Voc. Drumshanbo, Leitrim and Newtown School Waterford City in the last 6
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