St Peters volleyball team’s moving tribute for late teen Noah Smith
The grieving mother of an Indooroopilly volleyball player who tragically lost his battle with leukaemia five months ago has shared her pride in his teammates after their epic win in his honour.
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The grieving mother of a high-achieving volleyball student who tragically lost his battle with leukaemia five months ago has shared her pride in his teammates.
Noah Smith graduated from St Peters Lutheran College in 2021, just three months after being diagnosed with cancer.
For more than a year, the teenager fought hard against the leukaemia that sadly took his life in early October 2022 at age 18.
Lisa Smith described her son as a caring and sometimes cheeky teenager who loved sports, especially volleyball.
“I want people to remember him as being cheeky and fun and loyal and a really good mate,” she said.
“It is wonderful for us to see that he made a difference, and that these younger boys are also honouring him and making a difference instead of bottling it up.”
St Peters hosted Iona College in round 5 of the AIC volleyball 2023 season on Saturday.
In a top-of-the-ladder clash, the host school won 3-0 and raised more than $2300 for Leukaemia Foundation Australia.
In a moving post-game ceremony, the Indooroopilly school’s captain Tom Greatz, 17, thanked the parents, friends and family who allowed the day to run smoothly.
When addressing the Iona team, Greatz acknowledged the longstanding rivalry between their schools over the past five years of AIC volleyball.
“Thank you for putting on a good game today,” he said.
“We’ve had a lot of battles over the years since grade 7, but today was much bigger than volleyball.
“This is the second year doing an Orange Day to raise money for the Leukaemia Foundation and it means a lot to not only this team and the volleyball community, but the whole school.
“Last year, our teammate and our friend sadly passed away after his hard-fought battle with leukaemia.
“We hope that this round will continue long after we leave the school as a tradition in honour of our friend and in honour of all the people who have or are currently in their own battle with leukaemia.”
The St Peters Volleyball Parents Support Group raised money from a bake sale and a barbecue during the round to support people suffering from leukaemia.
Orange streamers, posters, ribbons, and balloons decorated the school while St Peters players and coaches donned bright orange socks to support the 53 Australian’s diagnosed with leukaemia every day.
It was an emotional day for all involved, particularly the St Peters First VI volleyball teammates playing for their friend.
THE GAME
Iona and St Peters both rank in the top 10 for school volleyball teams across Queensland, with many athletes involved in the Premier Volleyball League and Queensland Academy of Sport volleyball pathways.
So it was no surprise both schools sat neck-and-neck at the top of the ladder heading into the round five match.
Both teams also competed at the recent 2022 Australian Volleyball School Cup championships, with Iona finishing ninth in year 11 boys division 1 and St Peters placing third in year 12 boys division 3.
After round four, Iona were on top by two points over St Peters, but with a bye still to come.
The tension between players was clear during warm-up and continued well into the first set.
For much of the set, it was Iona who looked the dominant side.
The first points came from Iona’s #12 Mitch Price, who is only grade 9 and already making moves in the school volleyball pathway.
A serve rally from #9 Brad Mitchell was put to rest when St Peter’s #1 Jack Barks and #8 Cooper Rowlings blocked Price on the outside.
At 12-6, St Peters called its first time out to consolidate.
It was to no avail, as Price and #4 Callum McShane continued to block St Peters’ strong hitters at the net.
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Rowlings then stepped up for his team and hit over Iona’s block to regain the serve.
St Peters #3 Finn Killan, standing at 210cm, used all his height to dominate through the middle and earn crucial points.
A trend of back-end-forth possession ended as St Peters clawed its way back to within 1 point after being 10-down.
Iona’s libero Marty Hateley worked hard to keep balls up from a strong St Peters serve, but the home team soon got in front and won the set 25-23.
St Peters gained an early lead in the second set to be 7-1 up.
A carry by #15 Kye Van Beest returned serve to Iona, who lost the next point.
Van Beest redeemed his earlier mistake by impressing crowds with powerful hits from front court.
The set blew out to 19-8 in favour of the home side, with Van Beest continuing his spectacular crosscourt hitting.
Iona’s oppo hitter returned the skills, but it wasn’t enough to close St Peters lead as the set ended 25-18.
The third set proved as close as the first and gave Iona a glimmer of hope.
Jackson Dallwitz #5 managed to hit through St Peters double block at the net, much to the visiting crowd’s excitement.
Marty Hateley continued to put his body on the line, saving key points and keeping rallies alive.
St Peters’ front court found a rhythm in attack and regained possession.
It was Killan who looked unstoppable through the middle, delivering powerful hits that Iona struggled to return.
Mitchell worked tirelessly in the passing line to steady Iona’s attacking movements, with Dallwitz retaliating against Killan through the middle.
It was then team captain #2 Caleb Ryan who impressed both crowds with his blocking against St Peters #5 Luka King.
Ryan, who is a Queensland representative, then doubled-up his skills by hitting through a double block on the outside.
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Long rallies, big cheers from the sideline and even bigger hits at the net meant the score became level at 8-8 and stayed that way until St Peters called a time-out at 17-17.
Iona’s McShane tried to lift his team’s spirits in the dying points as the home side extended to a four-point lead.
A final oppo line-hit from St Peters’ King sealed the deal.
The final set score was 25-21, meaning St Peters would be on top of the table going into round six and it could celebrate the win while honouring the importance of the Orange Day fundraiser.
Coach Shane Van Beest said he was happy with how his team were able to come back after a rocky start.
“We’ve been trying to work on our starts,” he said post-game.
“They are a good team and they were undefeated too so we knew it would be tough.
“It was a special day, and emotional day, for us.”
THE PLAYERS
Iona College:
#1 Marty Hateley
#2 Caleb Ryan – (Captain) and College Vice-Captain
#3 Sam Cranny – College Captain
#4 Callum McShane – College vice-captain
#5 Jackson Dallwitz
#6 Riley Amoresen
#7 Finn Barker
#9 Brad Mitchell
#12 Mitch Price
St Peters Luthern College
#1 Jack Barks
#2 Issac Wanordi
#3 Finn Killan
#4 Liam Brionies
#5 Luke King
#8 Cooper Rowlings
#10 Jai Dorloff
#11Conall Cunningham
#12 Thomas Richman
#13 Tom Greatz (Captain)
#15 Kye Van Beest
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