All is set for another great day of volleyball on Sunday, June 2, as the community rallies for a cause in support of Fletcher Dandy and his family.
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Entries have been rolling in, necessitating the need to split the day into junior and senior divisions.
Volleyballers of all ages will come together, and competition will make way for some serious fundraising.
The format for the day will be lightning spike rules, which has teams playing two ten-minute halves games, with games being played every 25 minutes.
The juniors will kick the day off at 9 am, with six teams registered to play, which Volleyball Horsham vice president Matt McLoughlin says is a great sign.
"It's great that the kids have recognised the importance of the day and are getting right behind it," McLoughlin said.
"They'll have a ball and, at the same time, contribute to what we hope will be a day of great benefit to Fletcher and his family."
For the families and friends of the junior teams who would like to come down and support the day, a muffin breakfast will be on offer.
A barbecue lunch will complement the senior component, and a canteen will run throughout the day.
"All proceeds from the barbecues and canteen will go towards the overall fundraising goal, as well, said McLoughlin."
Senior team's coordinator Laelah Robertson says the day is another opportunity for many of the country championship players to get some valuable court time, with less than two weeks before the championships.
"We saw on the Ararat versus Horsham challenge day that the more our teams took to the court, the better they played," Robertson said.
"While the results weren't what some may have liked, the team play was getting better, which was the important thing.
"While court time is invaluable the overarching theme for the day will be for everyone to enjoy themselves and try and raise as much money as possible for the Dandy Family."
The day has received great support from non-volleyball members with donations of Tupperware, exercise classes, cleaning, slices, food, Phantoms and Volleyball Horsham merchandise, making for a great array of raffle prizes.
The Lightning Spike for Fletcher will be played at St Brigid's College stadium on Sunday, commencing at 9 am.
Whether you're a volleyball enthusiast or not, the community is invited to attend and make a donation.
Ararat v Horsham challenge
Ararat Volleyball took the honours on the Ararat versus Horsham Challenge Day held at the Ararat Fitness Centre, with the Pink Panthers and Paradise girls fighting out the women's division, while Horsham Red and Paradise went head to head in the men's draw.
The day was thrown into turmoil upon arrival at the stadium when melting ice on the roof caused the courts to become unsafe amidst a scene of players on their hands and knees mopping up the courts.
While this setback put the day slightly behind, the players put on a great show with many close games, especially on the women's court.
The Horsham Red and Navy girls played an exciting 33-31 game, and a number of other games were decided in tiebreakers.
At the end of the day, Horsham Red won the men's final, defeating Paradise 25-13, while the Pink Panthers were too strong for Paradise in the women's final, winning 25-15.
Overall, the day was considered a success, and the two groups have on the agenda more days like this and Anzac Day.
