Women’s First Team

 

Captain: Alexandra Smith (ars20@st-andrews.ac.uk)

Coach: Michelle Paterson (mp203@st-andrews.ac.uk)
Practice times:

- Monday: 6:30 - 8:30pm

- Friday: 8:45 - 10:30pm
Strength & Conditioning:

- Tuesday: 8 - 9pm

- Thursday: 9 - 10pm
League: BUCS Scottish 1A, Scottish League, SSS cup

 

 

 

 

 

The Women’s First Team is proud to have over the years worked their way up to the newly created BUCS British Premier League! We thus represent St Andrews in games and tournaments in Northern England for pool games, and hope to travel further down South again, renewing our qualification to the 2015 BUCS Premier League Final 8s in Bournemouth! We also participate in the Scottish Student Sports Cup – which St Andrews won after an undefeated tournament – and the Scottish League, in which we compete against some of the best teams in Scotland, both club and university teams.

 

The unconditional commitment of all our members to training, strength and conditioning and matches is both greatly rewarded and reinforced by the strong bond and enthusiastic atmosphere that glues the players together, both as part of their team, and the Club as a whole.

 

2015/2016 Season Review

By Alexandra Smith (Women's 1st Captain 2015/2016)

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The 2015-2016 volleyball season for the women's first team is best described as a rebuilding year. After losing 7 fourth years and our head coach, the team really had to work together to build a foundation for a new generation of St Andrew's volleyball players. Although the team lost the majority of its premier league matches, the season did have some highlights. The team hit its stride during the second semester, coming in second in the SSS Cup as well as the Scottish cup. With each game our players improved as a whole and individually, and I'm excited to see how the squad continues to develop in the 1A league next season.

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2014/2015 Season Review

By Jeannette Viens (Women's 1st Captain 2014/2015)

 

This season saw the Women’s 1st Team enter the Premier League North, an elite division for the best volleyball teams around the United Kingdom. The participation in the inaugural season of the league has had its challenges, as well as plenty of rewards.

 

The team started off with a week of intense preseason, followed by tryouts withour best turnout yet: over 60 girls attended the session!

 

After weeks of practicing, the new team got to test their skills on the court in their first match of the season, a Scottish Cup game against the Edinburgh Jets II team. As people only got used to playing with each other and in new positions there were some communication issues. Still, the Saints managed to win the game 3-0.Our later game versus Orkney was initially postponed and eventually cancelled as a result of poor weather conditions. The Saints had a bye to the quarter final round of the Scottish Cup, in which they lost 0-3 to Troon.

 

Our first Premier League match of the season was an away game versus the English conquerors Durham. The Saints were unable to keep up with their competitors south of the border and lost the match 0-3. The next match of the season saw the Saints go head-to-head with Glasgow in their first home game of the season. Returning players remembered the critical loss against Glasgow last season and were ready for revenge. This season saw the Saints fight hard and take a 3-1 win over their Glaswegian opponents.

 

In the third match of one very busy volleyball week (having played Glasgow and Durham only days before), the Saints travelled down to Northumbria. The game against the BUCS champions resulted in a 0-3 loss but saw the Saints score higher and have more rallies than in their game versus Durham - showing how much progress they had made in just a week’s time!.

 

The next match of the semester saw Edinburgh come up to Fife for another critical game of the season as they battled it out to determine the best of the Scottish teams. The first two sets saw the Saints dominate, but then fall to their own errors in the 3rd and 4th sets. The 5th set saw the Saints pick up speed again and win the match 3-2.

 

In the last game of the semester, the Saints faced Durham once again, this time at home. While the Saints lost 0-3 once again, the team was able to garner more points and keep up with their opponents, coming as close as 25-22 in the 3rd set. The two teams then joined together for a match tea.

 

The final three Premier League games of the season against Glasgow, Northumbria, and Edinburgh all unfortunately resulted in losses for the Saints, who ended up ranked fourth in the league. The team was, however, still through to the BUCS Final 8 Championships in Bournemouth, where they placed 7th in the United Kingdom.

 

 

 

 

2013/2014 Season Review
By Emma Fox (Women's 1st Captain 2013/14)

How strong are we? TOO STRONG!
 
Following an unstoppable 2012/2013 season as undefeated Division I champions, 3rd place finishers of the BUCS national championships, and winners of the 2013 St. Andrews Team of the Year Award, the Women’s 1sts volleyball team had a lot to live up to for the 2013-2014 season. Despite seeing over half of the team graduate over the summer, the girls proved their strength and vitality through amazing work ethic and teamwork, earning them the 2nd place title in Division One BUCS league as well as entry into the UK-wide Premier League commencing in the 2014/2015 season.
 
We kicked off the season with an impressive 3-0 win over Dundee, but suffered a costly and disappointing 3-2 loss to our Glasgow rivals in our first home game of the season. Regaining our spirits and determination, we snagged a crucial 3-1 victory over last year’s runner-ups Edinburgh. With the tide held high, we continued the winning streak by defeating Aberdeen (3-1), Heriot-Watt (3-0) and Dundee (3-0). For our second game against Glasgow, we were prepared and ready to fight and came out on top with a 3-1 victory. Unfortunately, in our last game of the year against Edinburgh, despite having proven the stronger team earlier in the season, we suffered a close and crucial 3-2 loss, costing us the first place Division I trophy. With wins over Aberdeen (3-1) and Heriot-Watt (3-0), we secured a second place finish, as well as a position in the BUCS Premier League for the following season.
 
Despite a few disappointing losses, I am so proud of the team and all that we have accomplished this season. Picking up from such a high past precedent with a new team line-up is no easy task, and this team proved its worth tenfold through  excellent technical performance as well as incredible strength of character. The team has grown so much, and finished on such a positive note standing tall together. This year, as voted by the team, Lorena Tussis, our Italian ninja, outstanding libero,  sport scholar and winner of the Saints Sport’s Continued Achievement Award was crowned Most Valuable Player once more. Charlotte Daman-Willems, past captain, president, and fixtures-officer extraordinaire was voted Most Improved Player in an extremely close race with 6 players nominated for the position.
 
We are once again facing heavy losses with 5 core members of the volleyball team leaving us: Indre Semogas, Karolina Punovuori, Lorena Tussis, Maria Christina Marchi, and Maria Toomik. We will miss them dearly, and wish them all the best in their future adventures!
This season has seen the Women’s 1sts grow closer and stronger and I can’t wait to continue this positive streak for next season with our new Women’s 1sts captain Jeannette Viens, and new volleyball club president Hannah Berwian.