Whakatāne High School’s Monique Prasad has just jetted off on her biggest sporting achievement.

The year 13 student is part of the New Zealand under-20s volleyball team, which left for Japan on Sunday.

The team had been going to play at the Asian Championships but with this competition cancelled, they are instead playing various university teams from around Japan.

At 17, Monique is one of the youngest in the New Zealand touring team.

“I can’t wait. I am so excited,” she said.

Monique, who started playing volleyball only about four seasons ago, has enjoyed a rapid rise in the sport, featuring in several Bay of Plenty indoor and beach teams and winning national titles.

Earlier in the year, she won the IPC under-19 beach tournament with Ani Doherty, and although this was a highlight, she said it was trumped by making a New Zealand side.

Monique was invited to trial for the under-20s team in November and made the cut for an extended squad, then shone at the final trial in April to book her spot on the tour.

“This is the first time I am representing New Zealand. I have represented the Bay a bit in tournaments like IPC and beach, but to represent New Zealand is super-special,” she said.

An age change for next year, means Monique will no longer be eligible for New Zealand under-20s despite being only 18.

“They are using this as a development tour for the Asian Championships next year because the Asian Champs were cancelled this year. It’s going to be a great experience. I am still super excited at the opportunity.

“The Asian federation have changed the age going forward, but I am still looking forward to it.”

Monique, who is also busy as Whakatāne High’s deputy head girl, trains about three times a week with her EBOP club team and has been playing plenty of volleyball, so was feeling well-prepared ahead of the tour.

She expects the Japanese teams to be a tough challenge.

“The Japanese are very good … Their systems are so different from ours. It will be a great experience playing against teams that work differently compared to New Zealand.”

She’s looking forward to playing alongside people she’s lined up against previously.

“It will be nice to be on the same side as them for volleyball. A lot of them are from Canterbury or other regions and I haven’t played with them before.

“I am also excited to experience a whole different culture and try the Japanese food because I love it already.”

All up, Monique is away for 11 days with the team.

Monique is grateful to the Whakatāne-Ōhope Community Board, which helped fund her trip.