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VOLLEYBALL | EVER HIGHER Matthew Young and Boris Georgieff—two big names in Volleyball helping to shape the St Peters Volleyball Program. I sat down to ask a few questions about what our girls and boys can expect and the history behind St Peters Volleyball. ANTHONY COX
photographer, graphic and web designer
Q: Hi Matt. I want to start by asking about your background and your involvement in the Volleyball landscape.
Q: If a student was looking to get involved next season for the first time, what are some of the skills they could start working on?
A: I started playing Volleyball in Year 8 at BBC and soon after was selected in the Met West side. From there I went on to play for Junior Queensland sides and then with the Australian Junior Team. In 2001 I took up an AIS scholarship in Canberra and in the following year I was selected in the National Senior team and competed in the 2002 World Championships in Argentina. I was with the National team until 2010 and played approximately 260 matches. During my National team career, I played in four Asian Championships (1st place in 2007), three World Championships, a World Cup and an Olympic Games (Athens).
A: It’s important to be able to do all skills but for the younger players you want to be able to consistently serve in. Overall, I would be practicing everything. As students progress, they will be playing specialised positions. For example, setters should be working more on their setting and passer/hitters should be working on reception and attack.
In 2002 I began my professional career completing 14 seasons with six different clubs overseas and from 2011 I began coaching and playing for clubs in Sweden. In 2016 I retired from playing due to recurring calf strains. I returned to Australia in 2017 and had a few years away from Volleyball before I began coaching with St Peters and the QAS in 2019. Q: Now heading up the St Peters Volleyball program, what are your goals here? A: My short term goal is to have the kids understanding/performing skill techniques well and using the system of play we want in our teams. Once they have a good understanding of these areas, I am confident the players will enjoy the game more. My long term goal would be that we have large numbers playing all year round. It is clear that the most successful Volleyball schools simply have kids playing more. If we can have this situation then there will more competition to make teams and thus players will have to train harder and more often to be selected for a higher team. The goal is to be a top school in both the AIC and QGSSSA competitions.
Plus Ultra | June 2021
Welcome Boris. Can we first start with your background in the sport, and when you first came to coach at St Peters. A: I started coaching Volleyball at St Peters in 1992 following a meeting with Cliff Mallett. That same year, I took a girls team to the Volleyball Queensland (VQ) Schools Cup and we won the Division 3 title (the trophy is still in the trophy cabinet in the St Peters gym). I have been involved in coaching club Volleyball since that time as well as coaching representative teams from Queensland and the ACT at national championships and in the Australian Volleyball League. I have also been a coach in the Volleyball Australia Junior Development Program since 1997. I have had the honour of representing Australia as a coach at Asian and World Championships as well as a number of other tournaments all around the world. I have been the Head Coach of both Junior Women’s and Junior Men’s teams during this time and held the position of First Assistant Coach of the Australia Women's Volleyball Team (the Volleyroos). Q): You have many years of experience in Volleyball and have coached at every level, so what is it you love about coaching at the high school level? A: I enjoy working with the young athletes and helping them to develop their skills and work effectively in a team environment. I hope I am helping them develop life skills and resilience