The St John’s students are part of 10-member NSW under 16s team which will start its campaign in Adelaide tomorrow and play through until next Friday, trying to be the Australian All Schools’ Championship.

They will come up against each State except Western Australia, which has withdrawn from the competition.

Ana is a setter and Eilish a universal player who is a good spiker.

It’s been a long journey for the two girls to get to this level.

It started as St John’s players selected to try out for the NSW Combined Catholic Colleges team.

They were both successful and then underwent further trialing and games with the NSW Combined High Schools and Combined Independent Schools teams.

From those trials the NSW All Schools’ team was named.

Then followed a series of training weekends in the Blue Mountains and at Homebush as the side came together as a unit.

“It’s a good side and we’ll go well,” Ana said.

“We are definitely aiming to make the finals,” Eilish said.

“And I think we have the side to do it.”

Both girls have already been identified as possible future national representatives and have been included in the National Youth Development Squad.

That again adds to the girls’ busy training schedules, with four training sessions staged a year within NSW and one massive camp with all the identified players from around Australia.

And they will again be out to impress Australian Junior Women’s coach Jenny Becker who will be at the championships, no doubt casting an eye over the talent that will be on show.

Both admit national representation is a goal.

“Playing for Australia would be great,” Ana said.

“London 2012,” Eilish joked, “but we have to get a team qualified first.”

It’s not Ana’s first State honour, she was a member of the NSW under 17s team that took part in the national championships, where the Blues placed 12th.

Both play in the Shoalhaven local competition at the Bomaderry Basketball Stadium each Thursday night.