International Women’s Day (IWD) - March 8th is a global celebration of women’s achievements. It's also a call to action for gender equality, highlighting the need for continued progress in breaking down barriers and empowering women everywhere. From raising awareness to inspiring change, today we honour the incredible impact women make in every corner of the world.   

We have many amazing female volleyballers here in NSW, but this week, we would like to put the spotlight on some of the top NSW athletes who have gone through the NSW pathways and chosen different pathways to further progress their volleyball careers. These empowering female athletes display the values of our community day and organisation on the international stage.  

Take a look at how their journey started and where they are now in their careers!

Stefie Fejes: From Manly Beach to striving for her first Beach World Championships on home soil! 

Stefie Fejes has been a synonymous name with NSW volleyball. Growing up on Sydney's Northern Beaches, Stefie first started playing beach volleyball with family and friends at Manly Beach. Within the first year of her playing, she was selected for the U15 NSW indoor volleyball state team at the age of 12. Stefie has since been a key player for NSW and Australia's beach volleyball teams, playing and winning at a national and international level. Stefie's most notable career milestone to date is the bronze medal she won at the 2024 Asian Senior Beach Volleyball Championships, a massive achievement for an athlete who is only at the beginning of her career. Stefie is looking to continue her development on the international beach volleyball stage by continuing to compete on the FIVB beach pro tour making her way up to Challenge and Elite 16 events. She has her eyes set on qualifying for the 2025 World Championships held in Adelaide!! When we asked Stefie about her thoughts on girls pursuing a pathway in high perrofmance volleyball she said "If you love volleyball keep playing! It is so important to do something you love and to always chase after your dreams big or small!" 

 

 

 

Anni Tang: From playing with NSW Phoenix to committing to Tenesse Volleyball in the NCAA! 

 

Anni Tang is a young NSW rising star, having transitioned from competitive swimming to training for ProVolley where she competed in both YSVL and SVL seeing success. Anni then joined the NSW Phoenix Program and saw rapid development as well as success winning gold with the U19 Phoenix Navy team in her first season. Anni has decided to continue her volleyball career and development by committing to the University of Tennessee to compete in the NCAA Division 1, SEC conference. The NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball competition is a premier collegiate volleyball league in the U.S., where top universities compete in regular-season matches and conference play. Anni will get the opportunity to develop not only her volleyball skills but also receive a university degree over her year 4 years in the NCAA. Anni notes that her commitment to the University of Tennessee is the biggest milestone in her career to date, and we are excited to see what avenues this pathway opens for her in the future. We asked Anni the advice she would give younger girls looking at the college and high performance volleyball pathways, and why: 

"I think girls should play volleyball and pursue the opportunity to play high-level sports as it gives you many friendships and teaches you life skills. It also gives you the opportunity to make a huge difference to young girls wanting to start volleyball. It gives them someone to look up to and admire."

Anni has recently moved to Canberra to become a part of the Australian Volleyball Academy, a full time training environment for Australian athletes. She looks forward to training there before she heads to college. She also dreams of one day playing for the women's Volleyroos and hopefully playing in the 2032 Olympics! 

Jesse Mann: Growing up in Manly to playing for the University of Hawaii and the Women's Volleyroos 

 

Growing up on the Northern Beaches, Jesse naturally gravitated toward beach volleyball at a young age and quickly fell in love with the sport. Her journey with NSW Phoenix began with her first Junior Beach Volleyball Nationals in 2017. Jesse played with both the junior beach and indoor teams until 2021, and was also part of the NSW Phoenix team that won gold at the U23 Junior Nationals.

One of her biggest career milestones on the beach came when she won bronze at the U21 Asian Championships. On the indoor side, Jesse was selected for the women’s national team for two international tours last year.

Jesse has since taken her passion for beach volleyball to Hawaii, where she trains and competes with the University of Hawaii's Division 1 beach volleyball team. The college pathway has given her the opportunity to grow as an athlete while pursuing her university degree in Mechanical Engineering. After her university semester, Jesse looks forward to returning to Australia to continue playing indoor volleyball during the winter season.

We asked Jesse why she believes girls should pursue the college and high-performance volleyball pathway, and here's what she had to say:

"I think girls should play volleyball because it provides so many opportunities and life experiences. You get to travel to some of the coolest places and meet so many people who become some of your best friends. Girls should pursue opportunities to play at a high level because it is so rewarding and teaches so many valuable lessons."

To keep up with Jesse’s college beach journey and indoor volleyball adventures, be sure to follow her on social media at @jesse.mann9 and @uhbeachvolleyball for the latest updates!

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