Volleyball champs hailed

By LARRY ANDREW
PAPUA New Guinea Volleyball Association president Kila Dick was happy with the success of the Prima Smallgoods National Volleyball Championships in Lae over the weekend.
Dick told The National that Lae residents contributed to the success of the championships which ended on Sunday.
“I am grateful that we finished our finals before dark. The men’s final was an upset,” he said.
“Fairfax defeated 14-time champions Vabukori Amateur Volleyball Association (Vava) 3-0.
“It’s a big and convincing win for the young Fairfax outfit.
“This is their third tournament appearance. They played Vava in 2017 but lost 1-3. They had a rematch last year but Vava won 3-2.
“Today (Sunday) is a big victory for the club.”
Dick said Vava, champions over the last 14 years, had raised the bar and set the standard for other associations to aspire to.
“I think one of their biggest downfall is the passing away of their leader and captain late Ravu Mahuru,” he said.
“Ravu always made sure the team were intact and his departure had created a very big vacuum for Vava. But Vava are a strong team and they will come back stronger next year.”
Dick said the aim of staging the championships in Lae was to give opportunity to the New Guinea Islands and Highlands to make the tournament.
“Highlands is known for rugby league and to have Eastern Highlands compete in the tournament for the first time in a long while is a bonus,” he said.
“The Eastern Highlanders performed well with their women’s team finishing fourth and their U21 female team finishing third.
“They demonstrated that other provinces also had the potential to compete in the sport.
“I want to encourage other provinces to take up volleyball because the sport is gaining momentum in the country.”