Albany-raised Ryan Slater earns maiden selection for Volleyroos tour of South Korea for Korean Cup in July

Rising Great Southern volleyball talent Ryan Slater will don his maiden green and gold jersey for the Volleyroos as the national squad heads to Southeast Asia for the Korean Cup next month. After showing great potential for his State league side the Reds Volleyball Club, the 24-year-old setter was selected to join the squad for the exhibition tournament which aims to foster the talents of budding players with international exposure. Speaking in Albany at the weekend after the Reds made the journey to the Great Southern for the inaugural WA Volleyball League’s regional round, Slater said being selected to represent the nation was a dream come true. “It’s a massive honour and a dream that I’d never thought would come true,” he said. “I always wished that I could play (for the country) but I never thought it was possible because I didn’t have many people telling me it was possible. “It’s a massive honour and a dream fulfilled.” Slater said the tournament will provide him with a wealth of experience and is a key stepping stone in pursuing a career overseas. “Honestly, the main goal right now is exposure and getting (video) footage, because I need that in order to be able to play in Europe,” he said. “I’ve never had the opportunity to play overseas in any tournament, so just seeing what level everyone else is and where I have to be to play more is also a massive thing. “And learning the different styles because I know a lot of different countries play different styles of volleyball.” Slater stands among a cohort of outstanding volleyball talents emerging from the Great Southern region, including Australian Volleyball Academy’s Tully Bew and State under-18s player McKinnon Barrett. Slater said he has witnessed a shift in the popularity of the sport in the region and the regional round will help inspire young players. “I have seen a massive growth in volleyball in the Great Southern,” he said “Just the overall involvement, there’s so many more kids playing, school teams have so many more players playing so there’s been a massive improvement in the last five years. “When you see that and you understand that the level is different and the way people play volleyball is different, so seeing that with your own eyes is massive for inspiring kids to work harder.” After recently moving to Canberra to be based at the Australian Institute of Sport, a nervous Slater returned to Albany with the Reds to square off with the UWA Volleyball Club in front of a packed home crowd on Saturday night. He was joined by fellow Albany-raised team mate and hitter Rielly Vincent in the match, but the Reds were ultimately defeated in straight sets, 25-19, 25-23, 25-23. The club, which also features Albany-raised coaches Max Wason and Lachlan Butler, organised numerous clinics at Great Southern Grammar during the visit as part of Great Southern Volley Mania.