The boys have been beaten and now the Otago Girls' High School junior volleyball team has beaten the South Island.
The squad returned victorious from Christchurch on Thursday night after winning all eight games at the South Island secondary schools junior championships, including the final against Riccarton High School A.
Otago Girls' lost the first set 23-25 in the final - one of only three sets the team conceded across its eight games - but proved ruthless in the second and third sets, winning those 25-19 and 25-13.
Five players - Hannah Moore, Hannah King, Leimanu Hotesi, Jenna Thorne and Taylor Thorne - were named in the tournament team, and Taylor Thorne was named the tournament's most valuable player.
''She's an outstanding jumper, very agile and moves incredibly well,'' Otago Girls' coach Jock Murley said.
''Her general all-round skill level is exceptional - she won us a massive number of points.''
The team was featured in the Otago Daily Times last month for maintaining an unbeaten record to that point playing in the Dunedin junior boys' competition.
The team has played 30 games this year for 26 wins, two losses and two draws (due to time constraints).
The side's success bodes well for the future of Otago Girls' volleyball, with the nucleus of the side likely to feature in the senior ranks next season.
''The good thing is, over the past four to five years, teams that have won this championship have gone on to win the national champs,'' he said.
Otago Girls' was regularly in the top five or six teams ''a long time ago'' at the national senior level, but players from this side could help put Otago Girls' back in the picture on the national scene, Murley said.
