Coach Kayla Abrahams, of Lotus Lions Volleyball Club, is over the moon that four of her players were selected for the Western Cape provincial team, which will participate in the annual National Volleyball League in Bloemfontein from Monday September 26 to Friday September 30.
The four participants, Zeekoevlei High School pupils, Keane Fernandez, Lee Abrahams, Ameer Satarien and Jordan Moses will play for the Western Cranes.
Coach Abrahams said: “Our players are exceptionally dedicated and hardworking – this is an astonishing feat. Think of the Cranes as the volleyball version of the Stormers – that’s huge!”
The club was started in 2017 by Keane and Kyle Fernandez.
Nadia Anhuizen, teacher at Zeekoevlei High School, and coach of the Western Cape Schools Volleyball Association (WCSVA), said all the best players from the nine provinces will converge in Bloemfontein to vie for the top spot in the country.
She said Kyle Fernandez has been given the duty of assistant coach.
The Fernandez twins started their volleyball journey in 2008 at Zeekoevlei High School and managed to draw a number of ex-students to the club.
One such player is fitness coach, Daniel Kambwah who drives the development programme of the club and who runs training sessions with the Zeekoevlei High School teams who have nicknamed themselves the Lotus Cubs.
Coach Anhuizen said she is excited about the resurgence of volleyball, not only in Lotus River, but in the Cape Metro as a whole. “Almost all the schools in Grassy Park are now playing and this bodes well for the future of volleyball. I am so chuffed with the club’s achievements as it has motivated players to embrace holistic education. In addition, it gives people hope amid the challenges they face.”
The Lotus Lions club members are honing their skills and train at Lotus River In-door Sport and Recreation centre in Lotus River, on Wednesdays and Thursdays, from 7pm to 10pm.