Women Volleyroos to make Grand Prix debut

The Australian women's volleyball team will make history this weekend, when they compete in the World Grand Prix tournament in Kazakhstan.

They admit they're not the most polished outfit, but the Australian women's volleyball team are ready for a fight at the World Grand Prix.

The Volleyroos will compete at the annual tournament for the first time in Almaty, Kazakhstan, from Friday, with matches against the host nation, Croatia and Czech Republic - all ranked in the world's top 25.

They will then travel to Croatia to play each other again.

Australia currently sit 100th in the world, and coach Mark Barnard knows it's going to be a tough test.

"They're feisty underdogs," he said on Thursday.

"I wouldn't say they're the most polished team in our section of the Grand Prix; we certainly don't have the luxury of having all our players training full-time together.

"I think we've got to look at ways to short cut our improvement, and one of those ways is you have to play with an Aussie attitude.

"There has to be an underdog, fighting spirit, and we've got to make sure that if we do get beaten those other teams will know they've been in a fight."

Australian star Rachel Rourke, considered one of the world's best players, remained positive about her team's chances over the next fortnight.

"I think we'll have a lot more confidence now to play together as a team, win a lot of points and hopefully win some sets, and finish with some wins," she said.


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