Volleyball star locked in for code switch At a glance

No prizes for guessing which position volleyball-cum-rugby player Stacey Niao is playing.

Only a matter of weeks after playing in the national volleyball league, she’s putting her athleticism to use in the second row of Canterbury’s Farah Palmer Cup side.

Niao made a good fist of her debut against Counties Manukau last week, too, and will again start at lock in today’s rematch of last year’s final against Waikato in Hamilton.

It’s been a rapid rise for Niao as Canterbury continue to be without Cindy Nelles (concussion), given how little rugby she’d played until recently.

Volleyball was her sport, one she earned a four-year scholarship to the US with, captaining Illinois State University in the Missouri Valley Conference.

Niao returned to New Zealand in 2017, before moving from the Waikato to Christchurch the following year to lead the University of Canterbury’s high performance sport programme.

Playing for the university’s team, all while juggling volleyball commitments, she made Canterbury’s

wider squad last year.

But something had to give if she was going to reach her potential.

‘‘I tried to balance rugby and volleyball and kind of at that level for both it’s not feasible at all ... it worked up until FPC and that’s when the clashes started happening.

‘‘I basically told them after [the national league] I am going to play rugby,’’ she said.

‘‘Volleyball has been my sport the last 10 years. It’s not like I’m kicking it to the kerb, but in New Zealand once you make the women’s team, and you can’t travel there is no challenge left . . . there is nothing left for me to reach in that space.

Round 2 games:

Today:

■ North Harbour v Tasman, North Harbour Stadium, 12.05pm

■ Hawke’s Bay v Northland, Tremain Field, Napier, 1pm

■ Waikato v Canterbury, Beetham Park, Hamilton, 1pm

■ Manawatu¯ v Taranaki, CET Arena, Palmerston North, 2.05pm

■ Counties Manukau v Bay of Plenty, Navigation Homes Stadium, Pukekohe, 2.35pm

Tomorrow:

■ Otago v Auckland, University of Otago, Dunedin, 12.05pm Canterbury team to play Waikato: Rosie Kelly, Isabella Waterman, Grace Brooker, Liv McGoverne, Grace Steinmetz, Terauoriwa Gapper, Kendra Cocksedge, Lucy Anderson, Lucy Jenkins, Alana Bremner (c), Chelsea Bremner, Stacey Niao, Amy Rule, Rebecca Todd, Pip Love. Reserves: Georgie Ponsonby, Trine Greenslade, Stephanie Te OhaereFox, Emma Dermody, Marcelle Parkes, Dianne Hiini, Amy du Plessis, Tayla Simpson.

‘‘Whereas here, I’m like a rookie, an absolute rookie. There is so much more space and growth for me in rugby.’’

Now that Niao has reached her first goal of making Canterbury’s squad as they pursue a fifth straight title, she’s set her sights on more.

She wants to be involved in a mooted women’s Super Rugby competition, and is laser focussed on learning off the Black Ferns she’s surrounded by.

‘‘I’m trying to make it to the top, so anything I can do to try and reach that will be good. I can’t imagine that I would be someone that just wants to be in the team and that’s it.

‘‘For me to go on the field and play with Chelsea Bremner, who is in the Black Ferns, is just like looking at the standard I need to reach and the expectations I need to follow. If I have got her right next to me it’s going to be a lot easier to see what I need to do to get there.’’

On the brink of the first full round of the Farah Palmer Cup – the championship teams didn’t play last week – Niao has no doubts where she needs to do most work.

She felt the pinch after 60 minutes last week, and knows her fitness levels need to improve if she’s to keep up with Canterbury’s up-tempo game.

‘‘I don’t want to be that player on the field, hands on hips trying to catch air, but at the moment that is what I am doing. Big work-on for me this season.’’