Duncan Christian School volleyball star Danielle Groenendijk made some noise on the national stage last month, competing with Team BC at the National U16 Volleyball Championships at the Richmond Oval.
Groenendijk and BC Blue finished 10th of 14 teams in the extremely competitive tournament, where six provinces, one territory, and one U.S. region were represented.
Groenendijk's journey to Richmond began with the Vancouver Island regional selection camp where players were picked for the U16 Baden Cup. The top athletes from across B.C. took part in the Baden Cup training camp tournament in late June and early July, with the best players from that group being named to Team BC.
BC Blue went 0-3 in round-robin play, losing to Ontario Red (25-18, 25-18), Alberta White (25-15, 25-21) and Saskatchewan Green (18-25, 25-23, 15-9).
They fared better in the re-pool games, beating Yukon 25-12, 25-14, 25-14 and Puget Sound Region S 25-21, 25-18, 25-21. In the playoffs, they defeated Puget Sound Region Y 25-23, 16-25, 15-13 before losing again to Saskatchewan Green 18-25, 25-18, 15-13.