Saints Volleyball Marches On

In its first season as a Focus Sport, Saints Volleyball has continued to go from strength to strength, despite some tough, close and disappointing losses. On the back of a 3rd place finish at BUCS National Championships and the “perfect” 10-0 season in the BUCS Scottish 1st Division for the Women’s 1st , a solid 4th place debut in the 1st Division for the Men’s 1st and the strong development of the Women’s 2nds team, all teams looked to solidify their success in 2013/14. The Women’s 1st kicked off the season with an impressive and comfortable 3-0 win over Tayside rivals Dundee, despite seeing over half their team graduate over the summer, but suffered an unfortunate and costly 3-2 loss to Glasgow 1st in their first home match of the season, their first in the BUCS Scottish 1st Division since December 2011. Heads held high, the team travelled to previous year’s runners-up Edinburgh 1st, snagging a crucial 3-1 victory. The following weekends saw the Saints take down Aberdeen 1st (3-1), Heriot-Watt 1st and Dundee 1st (both 3-0). The penultimate game of 2013 saw the Saints facing Glasgow 1st in the return leg: this time the Saints were the stronger side, defeating Glasgow 1st in a 3-1 thriller. In the final game, the annual “Winter Classic,” the Saints faced joint division leaders Edinburgh 1st. Despite having proven the stronger team earlier in the season, the Saints were unable to pull through on this occasion, suffering another close and crucial 3-2 loss. Heading into the Winter Break, the Women’s 1st now lie in 2nd place, behind Edinburgh 1st, with games vs Aberdeen 1st and Heriot-Watt 1st still to play.

Having kicked off the 3-0 defeat in a friendly warm-up vs Abertay 1st and their previous meeting resulting in a thrilling 3-2 victory, the Men’s 1st headed to Strathclyde, this year’s favourites for the title. Despite a remarkable effort from the experienced Strathclyde side proved their worth, taking the game 3-0. The Saints Men too faced Glasgow 1st, last year’s runners up, in their opening home match. Despite a remarkable effort from the Saints, the Glaswegian side pulled ahead in the final set with a 17-15 win, to take the match 3-2. Facing last year’s champions, the Saints headed to Edinburgh 1st and despite an initial strong showing, Edinburgh 1st proved the stronger side, taking the match 3-0. Off the back of 3 unfortunate losses, the Saints Men headed to Aberdeen, determined to bring back a win: in a nail-biting 5-setter, the Saints Men finally pushed through, taking home a 3-2 victory. With the confidence of the previous game, the Saints Men welcomed newly-promoted Edinburgh 2nds, comfortably winning their match 3-0. The following weekend saw them face Strathclyde 1st again, but the purple side, still unbeaten, maintained their winning streak, taking the match 3-0. The penultimate weekend saw the Men travel down to Glasgow with the Women, also looking for revenge: a 3-0 victory saw that mission accomplished. The final “winter classic” weekend saw the Men face Edinburgh 1st again. Despite a far stronger showing, the Edinburgh 1st side edged ahead and took home a 3-0 victory. The Men’s 1st go into the winter break in a solid 4th place, closely behind Aberdeen 1st. In the new year, they will face Edinburgh 2nd and Aberdeen 1st again. The Women’s 2nd consisted of an entirely new group of players for the 2013/14 season, with most of their players having graduated or moved to the 1st team. With a new and dedicated coach however, they kicked off their season with an impressive 3-2 victory against Glasgow Caledonian 1st. In the home opener, they too faced their Glasgow counterparts, but the more experienced Glasgow showed their unity and took the game 3-0. Heading into the winter break, the Women’s 2nd sit in 4th place, with the majority of the 2nd and 3rd division matches still to be played. The Women’s 2nd still have 6 fixtures to play in the new year. This season has furthermore seen its members list grow stronger with the addition of a weekly recreational programme, and a dedicated representative running these sessions. Despite some disappointing and extremely narrow losses for all teams, the Volleyball club is continuously going from strength to strength and looks forward to an equally, if not more, successful second half of the season.