AUSTRALIA’S best junior volleyball players are training in Bendigo this week for the Australian Institute of Sport’s junior development camp.Up to 130 athletes have come to Bendigo from across the country, with the aim of earning a place in the Australian junior squad.Among the athletes are seven Bendigo-based players, including Girton Grammar’s Laura Roberts, Lauren McKenzie, Lucinda Turnbull, Georgie Jenkins, Laura Sheather, Tess Swift and Catholic College Bendigo’s Louise Findlay, who are training with the squad at Bendigo South East Secondary College this week.More than 70 girls and 60 boys will train at the camp, with 30 in each group being selected for the next stage of the program.National Talent Identification and Development Coach and Junior Women’s Program Manager, Simon Naismith, said the athletes at this week’s camp had been selected based on their performances throughout the year.“We’ve got talent identification scouts out throughout Australia through Volleyball Australia whose prime job is to go out to state schools and competitions and under-16 championships to find athletes to bring to this camp,’’ he said.Naismith, who will put the girls through a range of drills as well as skill development exercises, said the athletes selected to move on to the next stage would play an “international style’’ of volleyball.“They will have fantastic ball control, which is really important, as well as playing an international style of game,’’ he said.“That means playing high above the net and with powerful striking power. The game has progressed so much throughout the past few years that we need true athletes out there.’’One of the Bendigo hopefuls, Laura Roberts, was selected for the camp after representing the Victorian under-16 team.The 15-year-old is hoping to perform well this week.“This camp gets narrowed down to 30 people and then there is another training camp where a team gets selected,’’ she said.“I think I’ll go okay, but it’s hard to tell because there are so many of us here.’’