Goulburn Valley Volleyball had its dig at the Victorian Country Champs, and have spiked silverware into the team bus to take home to the region.
Taking a pair of teams to the championships, GV Volleyball secured gold and a runner-up effort across its division three women and men’s programs, while its success across both teams meant the 2026 Chairman’s Trophy was shared with Volleyball Ballarat.
It’s the first time a Goulburn Valley team has won gold in volleyball since 1990, and the first ever to be won by a women’s team from the region.
It caps off a rewarding month for the sporting program, after the GVVA was named Most Outstanding Association at the Volleyball Victoria annual affiliate awards.
The women’s side blitzed its grand final opposition Ballarat three sets to love, while the men fell 3-1 against Warrnambool.
The men in orange won four of its five group stage matches, before winning a semi-final that earned the grand final spot, while the women went undefeated in three group stage games before defeating Bendigo Gold 3-1 in the semi-final to earn its grand final position - the only match it would drop a set for the entire tournament.
A statement from the organisation was posted to social media following the terrific tournament results.
“Our teams played and supported each other with incredible spirit and integrity from start to finish, we couldn’t be more proud of our community,” the statement read.
“We couldn’t have done it without team coaches Katie Heard and Clare McIlveen who were both outstanding on and off the court.
“Thanks also to families and friends who supported our teams and made the weekend so much fun for everyone.
“Thank you to Volleyball Victoria, tournament referees and Bendigo Volleyball Association for an amazing CC26, these memories will last a lifetime.”
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