Tara Murray
Taylors Hill’s Denise Chan is still in the early stages of her volleyball career, but she’s already having a big impact.
Chan discovered volleyball when she was in grade 6 in 2020, but due to COVID-19 she only started club training late in 2021.
Since then it’s been a quick progression, making a couple of state teams before making the Australian team for the Thailand Junior Volleyball Championships earlier this year.
Chan said she’s still stunned by what she has achieved so far.
“It’s amazing,” she said. “I was really surprised when I got the invitation for the Australian team.
“It sort of came out of nowhere, I was so shocked.
Chan was identified at an Australian camp late last year. She didn’t realise they were scouting for a team.
When she was in Thailand she had to show her flexibility on the court.
“The whole team really bonded because we all come from different parts of Australia,” she said.
“We just helped each other get through training and all the games as it was so hot and really different to Australia.
“I had to play a different position to what I normally did. I had to play setter as one of the setters pulled out late.
“It was definitely challenging having to adapt to a different role, but I think I did pretty well as I had a bit of experience setting before.”
Chan said having to play a different role shows her flexibility on the court but she did want to show her skill that she had been working on in her normal position.
The teenager didn’t have much time to rest after getting back from representing Australia, she was in action for Victoria at the School Sports Australia Volleyball Championships earlier this month, with the team winning gold.
She played despite currently carrying an injury.
“It was really fun,” she said. “I was named in the all-Australian team.
“All the coaches chose 12 players in the girls and in the boy desperately announced at the end of the tournament.
“After each game they would take notes. It was good.”
Still new in her volleyball career, Chan is stunned at how quick she’s been able to progress through the ranks.
She said the move to Maribyrnong Sports Academy has made a big difference.
“Just the last year was crazy,” she said. “I never thought I would play for Australia so fast.
“That [moving to MSA] helped a lot. Going into an environment where sport was a priority as well as school, after school I have training and I have to learn how to balance my time with study and sport.”
Chan said as a kid she always wanted to take a sport pretty far and had done multiple sports growing up.
She said with volleyball she had really found a connection and wants to take it to the highest level possible.
