In November 2003, the UCD men and women left the UUJ Sports Centre in Newtownabbey, Belfast with both Intervarsity Cup titles. 4 years on and they have repeated that same extraordinary feat and earned the right to represent Irish Students' Volleyball in the EVA Students Cup 2008 next February.
 The opening day of this year's event was highlighted with the big-rivals meeting of the UCD and UCC women’s teams in their opening pool. On route to winning the last 6 titles, UCD have met UCC in three of the finals, the last of which was the 2005 Intervarsities Final in NUI Galway where UCC let slip a 2-0 lead and allowed UCD to win one of the most enthralling women’s Finals in years. That superiority and experience by the National League club hasn't dimished either as they overcame the Cork girls in the opening set of the 2007 Intervarsities 25-13. UCC put up a more determined performance in the 2nd set to win by 4 points. With the final score at 1-1, point’s difference favoured UCD and placed them 1st in the pool and into a Cup group containing UUC (Coleraine) and Queens, while UCC joined UUJ. In the men’s competition, the big surprises were the falling of strong UCC and Queens sides as they went to the plate competition, while IT Carlow and UL prevailed to the Cup with RCSI, UCD and UUJ.
 On the 2nd day of competition, the UCD men continued to show their fine form by beating RCSI and then Champions UUJ in a fiery encounter that saw the Dublin side come from a set down to win 2-1 and go top of the table. The defeat for UUJ was their first match defeat in as many Intervarsities. In the other group, UL beat IT Carlow, meaning that Carlow would play UCD in their Cup Semi Final while UUJ would have to pick up the pieces against UL in a rematch of last year’s Final. Elsewhere, UCD women saw of a testing performance from UUC, followed by a strong performance over Queens, putting them as group winners into a Semi Final against the runner-up of the other group. Many would have thought this to be UUJ, based on UCC’s (Cork’s) strong history in the Intervarsities; however one of the shocks of the competition was to unfold.
Looking strong and odds-on for the win on match point in the 2nd set (after winning the 1st set), Cork conceded 7 consecutive points and were overlapped by UUJ, claiming an unpredicted set from the Leesiders. In what was the last action of the day, many bystanders were now taking their seats in the stand for what was turning out to be a highly charged game, with favourites UCC making numerous unforced errors and all but heightening the pitch of UUJ’s vocals. Indeed, the middle blocking from the Jordanstown girls elevated them towards a dream result against the Intervarsity power houses and a 2-1 result in favour of the Ulster team left many in disbelief. UUJ finished ahead of UCC and would play UUC in the All-Ulster Semi Final, while UCC would have to pick up their own performance before looking towards that of their huge rivals, UCD, in a massive Semi Final.
 On the last day of competition, DCU and IT Carlow qualified for women’s Plate Final, beating RCSI and Cork IT in that order in the Semi Finals, while Queens and UCC won through to the men’s showdown with respective Semi Final wins over Cork IT and last year’s CUSAI League finalists, NUI Maynooth. In the Cup Semi Finals, UUJ women produced another spirited display against UUC (Coleraine) to reach the women’s Final, while in the most anticipated Semi Final of the last day, UCD women overcame UCC in a somewhat 1-sided affair with a stronger display to that of their opening day match; 2-0 the result. The UCD men also got through to their first final since 2004 as they saw of a determined IT Carlow challenge, while in a repeat of last year’s final, hosts UUJ were too good for UL. A fascinating final was on the cards considering their dramatic encounter the previous day. In the Plate Finals, DCU women were straight sets winners over IT Carlow while Queens proved too strong for UCC.
 So to the Cup Finals, both to be contested between UCD and UUJ. In the women's Final, the favourites and defending Champions of the 6 previous women’s Cup titles, UCD, started the stronger as they met the challenge of the hosts and surprise outfit from UUJ, and winning the 1st set 25-13. Indeed their opening set form could have seen them romp through the match, however the 2nd set saw a revived UUJ team fight back to lead 13-8. UCD then turned the set on its head as they scored 12 points without reply from stong serving. Indeed when a rally developed, UCD were quick to kill at the net, while the blocking heroics also began to set alight pre-mature celebrations amongst the on-looking UCD men’s team, also anticipating a Cup Final of their own. With that onslaught, UCD would see of the set 25-15 and lead the match 2-0. The 3rd set was a closer affair, with UUJ still throwing all that they could at the defending Champions, however the hits were coming back, more so harder, faster and more clinically from the UCD girls, finding gaps in the opposition’s block and back court. And they were indeed to claim that 3rd set 25-19 and their 7th Irish Volleyball Intervarsities title in a row – a simply incredible achievement and sequence of honours that seems almost impossible to halt at present.
 Yet this year’s Intervarsities event was to end stunningly. Having produced fireworks in their Cup group game the previous day, nothing short of it was expected in the men's Cup final showdown between UCD and UUJ, and the large crowd that watched on may have witnessed yet another men’s Intervarsity Cup Final thriller. Having seen their female counterparts emerge victorious from the women’s Cup Final beforehand, the hunger levels were raised once again with UCD, and that would prove vital for them going in as underdogs to the Final against the hosts and defending Champions. It was the men of Jordanstown who would scoop the 1st set however on a tight score line of 27-25, with a committed display of attacking and blocking from both sides immediately becoming the trend. The score line was reversed in the 2nd set in similar fashion as UCD fought back tooth and nail to stay in the game.
 With both sides now equal on paper, the control in the 3rd and 4th sets began to sway for long periods. UUJ broke the ice in the 3rd set, 25-18, however UCD again fought back with a powering display in the 4th to win 25-12. Like last year’s Final between UUJ and UL, a tie-break set would determine whether the title would be defended or go to a new home. UCD narrowly led at the change around, with no more than 3-points separating the sides at any stage in the final set. Lady-luck may then have swung towards UCD in an instant when a shoot-volleyed free-ball by the Belfield team clipped the net and dropped despairingly short of Jordanstown’s spike line, despite the desperate efforts of the Jordanstown defence to pick it up.  Bringing the game to match point, it proved to be one of the key moments of the tournament; it was to boost UCD’s confidence at the most critical time of their Intervarsities as they powered on thereafter to win the match at the net, sparking ecstatic celebrations on court with the likewise triumphant and vocal UCD women’s team. Both UCD teams can now enter the EVA Students Cup which takes place in Leeds University next February.
 UCD team captains Noemi Kuncik and Matteo Sbrolla accepted the Intervarsity Cups on behalf of their victorious teams, while MVP awards were also handed out to Aileen Minihan (UCD, best female setter), Noemi Kuncik (UCD, best female hitter), Mark Fulton (UUJ, best male setter) and David Hamilton (Queens, best male hitter).
 For Jordanstown, losing both Cup finals was a despairing end to their ’07 Intervarsity venture, but many thanks and congratulations have been and must be expressed to the club and its members having hosted a very well run Intervarsity event, particularly for providing a fitting volleyball arena and score board system that at present, is unlike any other in Ireland. Next year’s Volleyball Intervarsities takes place in Limerick, which last took place there in 2000, and the state-of-the-art UL Arena is to be the venue for the 2008 edition.
UCD - Women's Intervarsity Cup Champions 2007/08 |
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Back Row (L-R): Claire Revert, Miriam Nolan, Noemi Kuncik (Capt. and Coach), Leanne Dignam (Vice-Capt.), Mary-Louise Coleman and Aileen Minihan. |
Front Row (L-R): Claire Walsh, Cara Davies and Lyndsey Condell. |
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UCD - Men's Intervarsity Cup Champions 2007/08 |
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Back Row (L-R): Gianmaria Marcetelli (Coach), Miguel Maglo, Thomas Holz, Trevor Westmoreland, John Daly and Lukas Folkman. |
Front Row (L-R): Herbert Ip, Matteo Sbrolla (Capt.) and Luigi Crucini. |
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More pictures coming soon!!
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