Recently formed duo hit success

They say that hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard, and when it comes to volleyball, Navreet Suhan and Zeid Shaikh can certainly attest to that. The recently formed Pakmen duo are fresh off their first OVA tournament championship and to say they’re progressing as a team is an understatement.

“When we first started playing together, we made a lot of little errors. We’re both big guys, so playing defence was something we weren’t used to,” said Suhan. “A lot of teams overlooked us, and that just made us want to work harder”

The pair has a simple goal for every time they step onto the court – to touch every single ball. Shaikh and Suhan have recently been turning heads at tournaments as people are taking notice of their hustle and effort.

“It doesn’t matter to us if the other team is better, we just keep on fighting,” said Shaikh. “The other team might pass better than us, and we have no control over that. But we always work harder, and that is something we can control.”

Both players understand that when it comes to beach volleyball, the outcome of the game is entirely in their hands. “In beach, you get to be your own leader, you have to be mentally stable,” said Suhan. “We work hard to adjust our game depending on who we are playing.”

One thing they don’t adjust is the effort they put in to improve.

“Navreet and Zaid are two of the hardest working players I’ve coached. They love being the underdog, and playing with a chip on their shoulder,” said coach Jessy Satti. “Their ability to motivate themselves is what separates them from most other teams their age.”

Shaikh and Suhan hope to build on their recent success and are aiming for gold at the Provincial Championships.

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