From humble beginnings in the 1970’s Monash University Volleyball has
grown to be a major player on the Victorian Volleyball scene and with its entry into the Australian Volleyball League (AVL)
in 2003 strives to establish itself as a serious contender and major player on the National Volleyball scene.
Monash
Volleyball has grown from a mere 2 teams in the late 70’s early 80’s to a small juggernaut consisting
of 9 senior mens and womens teams and anything up to 4 boys and girls junior teams in the Victorian State league of today
and Men’s and Women’s AVL representation. Indeed at one stage the club was
fielding 21 teams in National, State and local competitions.
What has motivated such a growth in participation has been the continued work
of a dedicated group of individuals whose love of the sport has engendered an infectious feeling and love
of the game and its challenges in all who came to the club
The club for a number of years was a well performed Division 2 club with the
ability to produce quality players but failed to keep many of those players as they sought to challenge themselves at a higher
level. Finally in 1989 the club broke through into the top division in Victorian State league and has since
maintained a position in that competition and grown accordingly as players stayed with the club as they saw a career path
to success and elite volleyball.
Soon after the Men’s development the club’s women’s program
was able to develop some and attract others to have enough quality players to move into the elite women’s competition
and has since maintained consistent representation at the level.
The club has also been a consistent representative at tournaments all over Australia
and has always been a solid performer at the Australian University Games where at one stage the women’s team won four
straight championships from 1989 – 1992 and the men won 5 out of 7 times between 1990 and 1996.
The club has always seen the development of all levels
as critical to success and so has fostered a strong relationship with Mazenod College Junior Volleyball program which to this
day provides many of its elite male players.
The club has enjoyed great success at most levels in Victoria with the highlight being winning
the Victorian Women’s State League competition in 1996 - the first major win for the club at the elite
level. The Women Honours did it again, with the gold medal in 2009
It has taken a while to reach those heights for the Men’s program as it
pushes for Grand Final representation with a 3rd place in 2005, and runner's up in 2008 in Victorian Honours
State League.
The club had long fought a view that University Volleyball was not serious volleyball and would never achieve success
on the court. Ironically it was once said at a State League Delegates meeting in the late 1980’s
(by a then member of the board of VVI and well known coach and player of a very successful Victorian volleyball club of the
1970’s & 80’s) ) that the Division 2 volleyball that we played at the
time was not serious volleyball and clubs at that level were not going anywhere. Famous
words at the time to those present from Monash and it is with a quiet smile that Monash Volleyball wins the Tomas Santamaria
Trophy fore the Best Club in Victorian State League for the 6th time in 2009 (while that board member’s club is non
existent at any Volleyball Victoria State League level).
