Elliott Hudson College is proud to celebrate another highly successful year of volleyball, as part of the Leeds Gorse Volleyball Club. Both the U18 Boys and U18 Girls teams delivering outstanding performances on the national stage and firmly establishing themselves among the strongest junior sides in the country. Competing at the highest level of school and college volleyball, both squads demonstrated exceptional quality, resilience, and consistency throughout the competition.

The U18 Boys defended their title, being crowned Volleyball National Champions again, continuing an extraordinary run of success built over several years, while the U18 Girls produced a superb campaign to finish as National Cup runners-up for the second year in a row. Together, these results reflect the strength of the GORSE Volleyball programme and its continued impact at national level.

U18 Boys – National Champions

The U18 Boys team were crowned National Champions, successfully defending their title and securing an exceptional fourth consecutive national crown across age groups (U15, U16, and twice at U18 level). This sustained success reflects a programme culture built on high standards, consistency, and long-term player development.

Their performances throughout the tournament demonstrated composure, quality, and a strong competitive identity, ensuring they remained unbeaten on their route to the title.

A special congratulations goes to Emmanuel Oretoye, who was named U18 MVP for the second consecutive year, and Maks Makowski, who led the team with outstanding leadership as captain.

• Josh Cosgrove (EHC)
• Emmanuel Oretoye (EHC)
• Maks Makowski (EHC)
• Essay Mulubrhan (EHC)
• Ioannis Dimitrakopoulos (EHC)
• Abdoul Gimma (EHC)

U18 Girls – National Cup Runners-Up (Silver)

The U18 Girls team produced an excellent campaign, reaching the National Cup Final for the second consecutive year and continuing their strong progression on the national stage. In a highly competitive final against Boswells School, they delivered one of the standout matches of the tournament.

After falling 2–0 behind, the team showed resilience and determination to fight back, saving match point to force a deciding set. The final set was tightly contested, with GORSE narrowly missing out 29–27 in a dramatic conclusion.

With the majority of the squad still eligible at U18 level next season, the group is well positioned to build on this experience and mount another strong challenge.

U18 Girls Squad:

• Daniella Tchandeu (LMaS)
• Krystina Ngatcha (EHC)
• Lauren Thorn (BA)
• Liliana Kowalska (EHC)
• Fola Aladese (TFA)
• Jessica Djiegoue (Team Manager, TRGA)

These performances highlight the depth of talent developed within Elliott Hudson College, with students also competing alongside peers from Leeds Maths School through the wider GORSE Volleyball programme. The success achieved this season further underlines the Trust’s commitment to high-performance sport and athlete development at national level.

Photo credits:

U18 Boys Final 2026 – Volleyball England

U18 Girls Final 2026 – Images by Rebecca Keating. Photography and Shathusan Mathiyalagan.