NEWS
Here is where you should find all the latest club news, links to important info on other pages will be placed here, dates for tournaments, socials, cup draws and all other information you will need as the year goes on should be on here.
nominated for service to union sport, but unfortunately lost out on this occasion. Whilst the club didn't quite retain the Club of the Year award, we took the next best award, and the last of the evening. Volleyball were awarded the Outstanding Achievement in Sport award for all their success this year and for actually improving on the amazing year that saw us crowned the best club at UEA in 2007. So fingers crossed out trophy cabinet can continue to grow next year.
Saturday 17th May
The UEA women today took their place as Regional Represents at the EVA Regional Champions trophy. We were placed in a pool with Lougborough Lions, York and Plymouth, which would be tough, although enjoyment was the aim of the day. First game saw the girls brush York aside without really ever getting out of second gear setting up a game against a Loughborough team with a mix very experienced players and a few less so. Loughborough won the first set by 5 points with UEA not looking themselves, but an impressive show of character that was later commented on by several onlookers, UEA stormed to an impressive 11 point lead in the second set, despite time wasting antics by the opposition the hitting power was just too much for them to handle. This victory set up a qualification deciding game with Plymouth, a team with some very experienced NVLdiv 2 players. It was a close game but the strength of Plymouths more experienced players was a little too much and they edged us out in a tight game. The second placed team from the other pool, QKA from London, decided to withdraw from the competition before the 3rd and 4th place play off could be played, which was a shame but did leave us as the 3rd best regional league team in the country. It was a good tournament which will only improve in time, and is something we should aim to return for next year.
In the evening, rather than head straight home, the team stayed for the Volleyball England annual awards dinner, and with a table to ourselves we thoroughly enjoyed the night. This was further cemented by some trophies to bring home. Sam and Ines collected Norwich Ladies NVLdiv3 title and Sam also picked up the Ladies NVLdiv3 MVP for the season. Then coming as quite a surprise Dave was awarded with the Volleyball England Development Coach of the Year award for his work with the womens team this year and with Schools in the local area. So all in all we had a fantastic day out and can look forward to the chance to improve on our 3rd place come the new regional season in September.
Monday 18th February
UEA 3RD BEST UNIVERSITY VOLLEYBALL CLUB IN THE COUNTRY!!!
UEA experienced another very successful year at the national student cup finals this past weekend. In a competition which features over 90 teams in the initial draw, for UEA to finish with two teams in the top 8 is a great success, to beat last years effort though makes it an amazing result. The men finished in the same position as last year, in 6th place, but had a much tougher route to that position this year, and the women finished 5th one place higher than last, but were dealt a horrible draw meaning that they actually only lost two games, and those were to the two finalists and probably deserved to finish in the top 4 meaning an automatic route into next years finals. Overall there were only two other clubs whose men and womens team's finished higher than us, those were Loughborough and ULU, so UEA can officially call themselves the 3rd best university volleyball club in the country. If you take into account that of the English teams in the top 8, the UEA teams are the only ones not to play regularly in BUSA the achievement is even greater. A great weekend was had by all, once again new friends were made, both within the club and with others as UEA players epitomised good sportsmanship and the friendly atmosphere that makes the nationals so much fun.
The men had a tough group on the Saturday with an undefeated Liverpool side, Irish champions UCD and old rivals and friends Cambridge standing in their way of a place in the top 8. They started with a professional and comprehensive victory over Liverpool keeping the score under 10 in both sets and winning 2-0 with relative ease. Next up were Cambridge, this was a game that the men would not expect to win, with Cambridge realistically being the second best team in the competition (although losing to winners Hallam in the semi's meant officially they finished 3rd). However the men put up a great fight, after being 5-0 down in the first set, they fought back to lose the set 25-22 but would use the momentum gained in the end of the 1st set to take the second by the same score line. The confidence was growing all the time and took the lead at the turnaround in the tie breaking 3rd set 8-3. From 10-5 there should have been a victory from UEA but the nerves and inexperience that not being able to play in BUSA causes meant that somehow Cambridge came back and took the set 16-14 and the game 2-1. Probably though the best performance by a UEA team in my 4 years here. Had the men closed this game out, a match with leeds met instead of Loughborough would have awaited them in the quarter finals and in turn a better chance of a top 4 finish. It was not meant to be though, and the men still had to fend off the challenge of Irish Student Champions UCD in their final match of the day. The men had been drained by their game against Cambridge and were caught napping by UCD in what was already going to be a very evenly matched game. The men lost the first set and would now have to win the next two to reach their goal of top 8. Although still not on top form, and with niggling injuries mounting up, they managed to rattle UCD and take the second set 26-24, as with cambridge the momentum now followed UEA, this time though they held their nerve, won the 3rd set, the game and their place in the quarter finals.
Meanwhile over at Leeds Met the girls faced a very tough group. First match of the day saw UEA take on ULU. ULU are undefeated in all competitions this season, and that includes the games that have seen them reach the semi finals of the EVA cup beating National League division 1 Swiss Cottage and London Malory en route. UEA stunned their opponents in the opening set though by taking a 20-9 lead over ULU, and going on to win the set too. Clearly awoken by this set, ULU came out firing, and despite the first 10 points being evenly matched, the height and firepower of London allowed them to take the second set. With a third set a race to 15 anything is possible. A close third set was nerveracking for all, but perhaps like the men the lack of match experience allowed ULU to steal the set and the win. Taking a set off of one of the best womens teams in the country though was encouraging and meant the girls could settle their nerves and have a little confidence going into the next two games. Next up was a bit of an unknown quantity in leeds, who had beaten former champions sheffield in their first game. UEA displayed their attacking strength to storm to the first set, but perhaps a little against what was expected, Leeds started the second set strong, and although a lot closer than the first set, Leeds managed to take the set, meaning another tie break for UEA. They won this in comfort though and needed to just beat sheffield who had lost their first two games to progress to the quarter finals. They managed this in style, winning with ease and allowing every single member of the squad to play and even giving a chance to finally bench some of the ever present players in the team. The win meant the girls could look forward to a quarter final match against UCD, the Irish champions, and reigning Student Cup champions.
In the evening, with everyone absolutely shattered from the days action, 8 sets were played by both team which is no easy day, the team and its magnificent supporters took a trip into leeds for a meal at ask. Even the supporters were too tired to go out on the town but a few enjoyed a nice drink upon returning to the hotel.
The women were first up in the morning with their quarter final against UCD. This was bound to be tough, UCD have a fine recent history in the student cup and in general haven't lost many games at all in the past 4 years. The girls were neck and neck until 13 in the first set, when UCD managed to open up a 5 point lead. Despite a late fight back from UEA this was enough for UCD to take a close set. Lilian changed to formation about a bit to try and keep UCD on their toes, and again UEA were neck and neck, if not in front for the first 10 points, but struggled against a level above what their used to. UCD were doubling up in all blocks, hitting slides, cross overs and lots of pipes, it was just a bit strong for UEA who put up a valiant effort and reached 20 points but couldn't quite match the fire power. This meant UEA would play Bristol in the next game to decide which place playoff they would enter. The men also had a tough quater final against Loughborough, in a reply of last years quarter final. The first set was very very close, with each team taking a few points lead then losing it, 'Lufbra' took the biggest lead at mid set in one position, and this meant that UEA had a battle just to get back into it. In similar fashion to cambridge yesterday though they did and took the set to 23. It was hoped they could push on from there in the second set and take it like yesterday, however it was not to be. Lufbra just worked their attack a little better and took the set to about 21 and the game. It was close but not quite close enough. The men were a little suprised to face Sheffield in their next game when they were defeated by Leeds in the quarter final, but it would give us a better game. Sheffield with and England capped setter and a professional greek outside hitter would be a tougher prospect than Leeds, but UEA produced their second best performance of the tournament to brush them aside. It was very similar to the Lufbra game to but in reverse, a couple of points each here and there ended in both sets with UEA taking advantage and pushing on to win. With Lilian on our bench our tactics were a little stronger, and we contained the threat of Sheffields two outside hitters very well. It was a good performance and a very good win, and meant that we would play last years finalists ULU in the 5/6th play off game. The women were also looking to get to the 5/6th play off but Bristol stood in their way. The girls underperformed in the first set and allowed Bristols one hitter to control the game, and in turn lost the set. Their enjoyment seemed to have disappeared from their game, and it was quite obvious this was needed to win this match, which was more than possible. The girls came out firing, this time tactically taking bristol apart despite some very dubious second reffing decisions, UEA took the set. Like yesterday against leeds, they took the tie breaker rather easily to take the game and set up a match against Kent in the play off. The men came up against ULU in the 5/6th place play off, and despite both teams having played all weekend, UEA just looked a little more jaded. There really wasn't too much difference in standard between the two, ULU had strength through 4 and 2 but not much in the middle, their setter dictated the game well though. UEA just lost the first set in almost identical fashion to the lufbra game, and hoped for better in the second, but the team spirit had disappeared and a number of service errors made it hard work for UEA, infact if the service errors had eradicated then the game would have been very different. Some tactical changes saw UEA get the set back to 22-24 but then couldn't quite capitalise and finished a very creditable 6th given the absence of Keith and a tough route to the games. The women had Kent in the same game, UEA had the psychological edge in the game, having already beaten Kent twice in the qualifiers, although a new player or two had strengthened the opposition. A very close game ensured and UEA took both sets, but in the 20's. The first to 23 and the second to 21, UEA's attack was far superior but kent kept showing their battling spirit to keep the game alive, in the end though attack beat defence, meaning UEA women having lost only to the finalists UCD and ULU (UCD won 2-1) finished 5th in the Student Cup beating last years position of 5th.
So a good weekend of volleyball and support had by all, this time though we can build on this and try to pick up a trophy at the regions champions cup.
Sunday 10th February
UEA picks up its first pieces of Silver ware of the season, with both teams overcoming 10 others to win the Eastern Regional League. Both divisions would be decided by a round robin schedule meaning nobody, win or lose, could complain with the outcome of the final tournament. The men had to hold onto a 28.5 point lead over 6 games to win the league ahead of Bedford, and the Women had to hold on to a 23.5 point lead over Pink Ladies to win the league. The men started very well, completely dominating national league side Stowmarket, coming out on top with a 38-12 victory. After a slightly disappointing game against Vipers the men played their most important match of the day against Bedford. They played probably the best they have all season, with lots of noise and some superb defensive plays. Nothing was hitting the floor unless it was pounded past our block and even then it was picked up most of the time. UEAs attack was lethal and by running out 29-21 winners effectively won the league there and then. The next three games were a bit sloppy but the men went undefeated, despite a close game with Ferrets which went down to the last point, to retain the title that they won last year. The day provided some very good performances which will fill the team with confidence ahead of the Student Cup in leeds next weekend.The womens first team also started well crushing Cambridge Uni 2A in the process before narrowly losing out to their main rivals Pink Ladies. This meant that they would have to match Pink Ladies scores against other teams to take the title. They managed to do this pretty much throughout the whole day, meaning the game against Ipswich, arguably the strongest team in the competition today, for both teams, would be crucial. UEA performed superbly against Ipswich, a team who they have struggled against in the past, but this time they were composed and fought hard to take the game 26-24 and to mean that Pink Ladies would have to rack up a cricket score against a team they are yet to beat this year. They failed to do so infact losing the game by some margin, meaning UEA could enjoy their game against the 2nd team safe in the knowledge that they had picked up the league title. They even beat pink ladies by 1 point overall on the day meaning it was some victory overall. It was a very good performance from the girls without a few key players and bodes very well for the finals next week. The second team had probably their most successful tournament to date. Nobody really thrashed them, and they almost picked up two very good victories, only to be beaten 26-24 by out of nine and Cambridge Uni 2A. Spurred on by Coach Dave and his megaphone they defended valiantly against UEA 1 in their final game, and managed a very respectable score against them of 16. Their points haul was enough to see them jump a place above Cambridge in the overall rankings to 5th, to have two teams in the top 5 when we only just had one last year shows the strength of the womens squads at the moment.
Victory for both the men and the women means that the club gets a nice day out to Kettering to another national finals to see if they can become crowned the best regional league team in the country. Well played everyone.
Sunday 20th January
Today saw the penultimate eastern regional league tournament played at the UEA Sportspark. The men went into the day with a 17.5 lead over 2nd placed GNG Bedford and the ladies were sitting in 2nd themselves, trailing pink ladies by 8.5 points. Come the end of the day both teams had improved their position. The women despite having two key players missing due to national league duty played well, particularly in the afternoon to not only close the gap on first place, but to storm ahead by some 23.5 points come the end of the day. At times the girls played some phenomenal volleyball, stuff that would give what we were all watching on eurosport over the past week a run for its money (kind of), and at times they were frustrating, but they know they need to keep concentrating when playing tough games against defensive teams who fight for everything, when they do this, their attacking strength eventually just becomes too much for their opposition. A game against UEA 2 bought some friendly rivalry and the biggest points haul of the day, with UEA 1 winning 40 out of 50 points. Whilst this helped push the 1st team up to first place, it did put a dent in the 2nd teams push for a top 4 spot, dropping from 4th at the beginning of the day, to 7th by the end. This gap however is definitely close enough to breach in the final tournament. The men were looking to put their first defeat of the season behind them from the last eastern regional tournament against Bedford to really push on in their quest to win the series. They started with a frustrating 32-18 victory over Zartosht who fought for everything, before completely obliterating Ipswich 37-13 with a fine performance of power hitting from all angles. This put them into a tough final group with GNG Bedford and Ferrets where the gap could be changed drastically. A tough game against ferrets which went point for point eventually was won 26-24, the same score was on show at the end of the match between Bedford and Ferrets. This set up a final with Bedford and a chance for revenge for the defeat in December. UEA stormed into a 20-11 lead but took their foot off the gas from there on in, and had to struggle to keep the lead, eventually only winning 26-24 yet again. Due to the mornings points haul and the win over Bedford though, the men had improved their lead at the top to 29.5 points. Both teams should be able to hold onto these leads to take the Eastern Region title, and in turn booking their place in the EVA Regional Champions Trophy in Kettering in May, offering another shot at a national title.
Sunday 25th November
Today saw the National student cup qualifying round held at UEA. It was the last of 4 separate dates where teams from all over the country would compete to join last years top 4 in the last 16 at the finals in Leeds in February. Some fantastic volleyball from both teams was on display along with some nerve racking moments. The women went without dropping the set. They destroyed Cambridge 2 in the first game and then had a bit of a battle against Kent in the second game. They came through this tough test though winning the game 26-24 25-23. Both sets saw the girls take the lead and lose it and then come from behind at the last moment with some resilient play. They then went onto beat Cambridge again although not quite as convincingly this time before the final match against Kent. This time there were no mistakes winning the game fairly easily with some superb volleyball and after winning the first set by 7 when leading 19-10 in the second set substitutions were allowed to be made to ensure everyone played some part in the day. It was one of the best performances I have seen from any UEA women's team and bodes well for the finals in February. The men started with a tough game against Southampton, they played the best they have for a long time in the first set taking a convincing win against a reasonably good team despite a shakier second set. They then wiped the floor with Gloucester before playing a potential banana skin in Kent. Despite an awful start and one of the worst sets played for a long time UEA came from behind to take it, and then storm ahead in the second with Kent's confidence dented due to a controversial call at 24-22 giving UEA the set. A closer than most would have liked win over Cambridge 2 finished the day off, with both teams going through in top spot. There is definitely the potential with a bit of luck in the draw for both teams to do well this year, and we can all now concentrate on preparing for the finals straight away. The support was brilliant and some good banter with Kent during both the men and womens matches just added to the great feeling of the day.
Sunday 18th November
Today was a brilliant day for UEA at second eastern regional tournament. The men went unbeaten again winning all their games, including tough ones against Stowmarket, Ferrets, and Brentwood. This time though they ran away with the overall points lead and now sit in pole position with a lead of around 16 points. Given our depleted squad it was a brilliant effort and sets us up well for the student cup next weekend. The girls team had a good day too, they lost to Pink ladies but after going 16-8 down came back to nearly take the game. They faced no such trouble in the other games and gave Cambridge 2 a taste of what to expect next weekend with dominating performances against both their teams, and also had a good win against Brentwood. Their huge points hall (averaging over 30 a game) put them in joint 1st place for the day with Ipswich and moves them up to 2nd overall, just 12 points behind Pink Ladies. The girls seemed to enjoy it and the atmosphere on court was the best yet with their play improving as the day went on. The womens second team picked up their first ever victory in the regional competition and came close to two more to cap of a good day for the club, because of these close matches they actually finished 7th overall and have moved them selves up the table too. Everyone; both players and supporters need to focus their energy on the qualifiers next weekend now.
Sunday 7th October
Sunday saw the first eastern regional tournament of the year take place. This years tournaments have a bit of a more competitive edge to them due to the prize on offer to the winners. The winners of both the mens and womens competition will go on to play in the Regions Cup later in the season where winners of similar competitions from each region of the country will also go to play. So both the UEA teams can be aiming for a weekend at this competition. The men had a good day, and although some games were too close for comfort, played well and didn't lose a game all day. Unfortunately due to the way the tournament works and the fact the men had some very close game, they finished 2nd behind bedford, but are only 3 points behind so can easily make that up. The best game of the day came when UEA men beat NVL Brentwood 30-20 in the final. The womens first team have a little more work to do to catch up, being about 15 points behind the leaders and coming 4th overall on the day, winning 3 and losing 3 games. But given the fact it was their first game together they did well and there is certainly potential for this girls team to do well this year. The womens second team had an enjoyable day and got better as the day went on, but unfortunately couldn't turn the fun into wins and finished 8th. The next tournament on the 18th of November will hopefully see both teams coming out on top.
Monday 1st October
UEA Volleyball hit the pubs of norwich in their pub golf outfits. Around 50 people joined us for the nights which started out rather competitively, with our social sec max being outdrunk in the eaton cottage by some of the girls team!!! By the time we got to optic most people were too drunk to remember to collect up the scorecards to see who had won. Despite the lack of clear cut winners it was still a very enjoyable night and plans are already in motion to arrange the next social.
Wednesday 26th September
The club had a very successful sportsmart with probably more people than ever interested in the club, perhaps something to do with last years recognition as club of the year. This was backed up by the numbers at training the following night, with over 70 people showing up, and also the social on the following Monday that attracted around 50 people. Good effort all around and hopefully a good omen for the rest of the year.
Sunday 29th April
UEA Volleyball took a mixed team to take part in the Logo East Varsity Tournament 2007. It was only organised last week, so it was all a little bit last minute and manic, but we took a strong squad of Dave, Jacob, Valentinos, Tomek, Joe, Sam and Ines. First up were Anglia Ruskin, who despite not having enough players to field full mens and womens teams could get together a very strong mixed team. With 3 national league men players, one from each division, and 3 very good quality female players, we would have a tough game on our hands. The first set was outstanding from UEA, as we took it 25-18. It was a real display from the team, which unfortunately was the only set of the day not to be captured on video. Second set, we started poorly losing the first 5 or 6 points to a strong serve, but we still played well and fought our way back to take the set. This level of play increased in the third and we finished the match of strongly. It was a very enjoyable game, and if mixed volleyball was always that level, it could be a very enjoyable type of game. We stayed on to play essex, who were not as strong as Ruskin, but played very well as a unit. The first set was resounding, to 15 i think. Second set we took Jacob off and changed things round a little, and despite not playing amazingly well we took the set to 21. Third set we changed things completely, with Jacob setting and Dave at opposite with Valentinos sitting off. The passing was poor to say the least and we lost the set, which was the only disappointment of an otherwise successful day. We had already won the match so we could sit back and watch the final game between Essex and Ruskin. We thought Ruskin would win, but the team spirit of Essex enabled them to take the match 2-1 with a deciding 3rd set. We could have played a final against essex just to confirm the result, but in the end, after a few hours in an abnormally warm sportshall, people wanted to eat and get back to their work. We were presented with a little trophy which was nice, ate some chille con carne and came home. The idea of the tournament is a good one, just the timing and the organisation needs to be worked on a little. Maybe invite Cambridge and some of the stronger colleges to make a real East of England tournament.
Wednesday 25th April
So last night we went to the CASA's having been nominated for two awards, the first two sports awards of the evening had us in the running, and to be honest we thought that if we were to walk away with something it would either be Progress in Sport, or the individual Service to Sport award. Unfortunately we didn't manage to take either of these awards so things weren't looking great as a total of 9 clubs were nominated for Club of the Year, the third and final award we were nominated for. Just as we were prepared to go home empty handed, the description sounded uncannily like it could be us, with references being made to our superb performance in the student cup as well as regional and local competitions. When a special mention was made to Dave Richards, we knew it was us and all of the members who came to the CASA's got up on stage to collect the award for Sports Club of the Year 2007. Eoin made a quick speach, we had a photo taken, and all headed off grinning from ear to ear. It is a great thing to be recognized for all we have done this year, and to do it by picking up the biggest award of all makes it extra special. So well done to every single member of the club for all that we have achieved and also for getting all the nominations in for us to win the award.
Tuesday 24th April
Last night we had our last social of the year, and incorporated our club awards into the evening like last year. We hired out the downstairs bar at Owens and they put on a buffet for us, which went down well with everyone. We gave out all of the awards, for numerous different things that have happened throughout the year, and the photos of all the presentations can be seen on the club awards page. We also gave Lilian some special gifts to say thank you for all he has done for the club, and to say goodbye to someone who will be sorely missed next year. We played pass the parcel, with different people winning every time, or in Sam's case, not winning. Loic came away with the main prize, but we think it may have been stolen by someone wanting to take it home with them!!!! We had some shots with our extendable arm, which i may buy for next season, and that provided some great photos, and a chance for some revenge for some poeple.
Then we headed to optic, where people sang, as usual, and got quite drunk, as usual, and seem to have some blank spots in their memories, as usual. But all in all it was a good night, with us getting plenty of our requests played, and having a good old dance. There is a survivors photo, which although is missing one or two it shows up most of the people who made it to the end of the night.
All in all, we felt it was a very successful night and a great note to hand over to the new committee. All the photos should now be up in the Photo Gallery.
Thursday 19th April
Well done everybody, our success this year has been recognized (due to all of the nominations you all made). We have been nominate for 3 Awards at the CASAs which are on Tuesday night. We are up for Club of the Year, Progress in Sport and Dave Richards has been nominated for a Service to Sport Award. Hopefully we can come away with something, but even still just to get nominated for 3 separate awards shows how good a year the club has had.
Friday 16th March
Thank you to everyone who nominated people and voted for next years committee, the votes have been counted and next years committee are;
President - Katie
Secretary - Tomek
Treasurer - Jacob
Fixtures Secretary - Mike
Social Secretaries - Max and Lina
Congratulations to all of you, I'm sure you will a great job and continue to improve the club and make it grow. We will do an official handover at the last social and from then, particularly over the summer, any questions you have need to go the them.
Thusday 8th March
DERBY DAY: So the time had come for revenge over last years mauling at the hands of Essex. Both teams had full squads available and were looking for good performances. The men had a shaky start infront of a good crowd who were not treated to the best the team could offer, however they still managed to take the set, although only just. 2nd set was better and UEA killed Essex off with some attractive volleyball but still not quite at their best. 3rd set the team were able to make some substitutions and have some fun whilst running away with the game. So the men won 3-0 which was a good result.
Despite having to wait for womens cricket to finish up the girls started where the guys left off. They took the game to essex, and although also not really getting out of 2nd gear they took the the match 3-0. They were made to work hard for their victory by some strong serving from 2 of the better Essex girls, and by their own lapses in concentration, much like the men had done in their first set. But they overcame this and picked up a good 3-0 victory over a side who had made the Busa last 16.
After the tournament we had a brilliant night out at the LCR with the volleyball club undoubtedly all chavs at heart. Hopefully some photos will be available soon.
Sunday 18th February
Today saw the final tournament in the Eastern Volleyball Federation League series and saw silverware of two different kinds on the day.
The Men came third on the day, losing to Bedford in the group stages missing out on the Final with Brentwood they have been waiting for all season, and had to settle for a 3rd/4th playoff with old rivals Ferrets. The men came out on top, just, to claim 3rd spot, with Brentwood losing to eventual Winners Bedford in the final. Despite this though, the men retained 1st spot overall to take the title for this years league/tournament series. So well done guys for taking the title of an Important Competition.
The women were sitting in 4th place before todays tournament and at a minimum wanted to maintain that. However following on from their success last weekend the girls won all of their matches to take the Event title and in doing so managed to push their overall finishing place to 3rd. A good achievement, and a briliant way to finish the series. Both will look forward to the one off Eastern Region Championship in April although both teams will suffer from significant first team players being unavaliable.
Monday 12th February
SUCCESS AT STUDENT CUP FINALS - Both the Men and Women first teams travelled to leeds this weekend to take part in the Student cup finals. We travelled up braving the snow; yes girls you were right it was snowing in Leeds on the way, and i will admit this once i was wrong. Arriving at about 10pm we had a drink or two in the bar before heading to bed ready for an early start on Saturday.
We arrived at the venue to find that Bath Ladies had bottled it and had withdrawn meaning the women would play Oxford and Durham twice but with two sets only. They didn't get off to a great start by losing to Oxford 2-0 in a repeat of a game from the qualifiers, and only managing a 1-1 with Durham when they should have won. A team talk after those two games galvanized the squad and you could see and hear the difference in their next game against Oxford. The girls were loud and optimistic (thought i was going to go death on the other court) and very impressively they took a set off of Oxford creating a 1-1 draw and meaning one set against Durham who had lost 2-0 twice to oxford would see them through to the top 8 for the first time in several years. This time with the support of the boys on the side who upped the noise levels again, and their Mexican wave at important points, the Women came out with an impressive performance and a 2-0 win, seeing them through to Sundays Quarter Finals.
The men had a bit of an unknown group. Cambridge are a team we play several times a season, and this year having already lost to them at the qualifiers we know how strong they are. Also in the Mens group were Warwick and Bristol, so we would have to see how it went. The men started very strong with a complete hammering of Warwick, 2-0 with warwick only managing 15 points or less in both sets. Next up were Cambridge and something was wrong first set, we didn't attack them the way we should and although the second half of the set was better the deficit was too large to make up. Second set went point for point up until around the 18 point mark, when they proved to be just too strong and took the set 25-21 and the match 2-0. Warwick took a set off of Cambridge meaning there was no room for error against Bristol, and although not the best performance of the weekend a 2-0 victory sent the Men through to the quarter finals too.
This is the first in over a decade that both the men and women have qualified for the quarter finals. Saturday night we had a nice meal at ask and a few drinks in the bar next door before heading home to have a few drinks there, but the bar was shut so a forced early night was in order. Match of the Day was on so not all was lost.
So Sunday morning saw us in the Small Hall at Leeds Uni for a change, and as we came second in our pools both teams faced a very tough quarter final. The women faced ULU (picked from all of the universities in London) and the Men had Loughborough. The women fought hard but ULU were just too strong and took the game 2-0 setting the girls up for their next game with Sheffield who had an England International in their squad. The men faced Loughborough with players of their own on the edge of the senior squads and played their hearts out. The first set was painstakingly close but UEA couldn't quite close it out and lost 21-25, but the second set was a different story, dominating for most of the set, we avoided a tight end by closing it out at 25-19. Unfortunately even with the girls support the men couldn't quite snatch the third set and a place in the semi-final losing 15-12. It was a hell of an effort and was commented on by several other teams who were watching. The men faced York in their next game.
The men lost to york last year 2-0 in the bottom pool for places 13-16 so this year both teams were stronger and it proved to be a close game. UEA took the first set comfortably but complacency and fatigue set in and we lost the second set. It felt like we would lose the match as York grew in confidence and showed the quality they used to defeat Bournemouth and push Hallam the day before, however UEA were a little too strong and came out on top winning 2-1. At the same time the women faced Sheffield, who finished 4th the year before to decide who would playoff for 5/6th or 7/8th places. The girls lost the first set with the strength of the university that holds the national center for volleyball proving too much. 2nd set the girls kept on top of Sheffields England hitter and stole the set with a magnificent performance. The men had finished their game and came to support the third and final set. UEA were immense and had Sheffield rattled, the set went back and forth before the fighting spirit of the girls broke Sheffield and they secured an incredible win of 2-1. They had obviously rattled them so much that the England International refused to shake hands with out Girls, and whilst disrespectful in a way it also shows how well the girls played to rattle her and her team so much.
So on to the last two games. The men faced Oxford who finished 4th last year. We got off to a very energetic start not allowing oxford a sniff, and hammered home at 25-14. Unfortunately we went flat and Oxford picked up the performance to show why they finished 4th and took us apart by a similar score. The 3rd set would require the same effort as the 1st and whilst it was better the first pass wasn't good enough and Oxford took the set 15-12. Whilst this performance and result was slightly disappointing the Men could be very proud of 6th Place. The girls faced Cambridge, and obviously tired from what equates to almost 8 hours of volleyball over the weekend, they couldn't quite keep up with the strength of Cambridge. The opponents had two huge hitters and a good setter that meant they just killed a little bit more than us. The game looked close and the first set was, with UEA hitting the 20's despite losing the set. Unfortunately in the second set Cambridge pulled away a little more and took the set quite comfortably. Again though, the girls should be very proud of their performance, 6th place is nothing to be disappointed with.
Both teams finished 6th overall, out of 16 on the weekend and out of about 40 overall. That is a phenomenal achievement, and something that both teams have not managed simultaneously for over a decade. Well done to everyone who was involved. We are officially the 6th Best University Team in the Country!!!
HOLIDAYS
UEA Volleyball wishes all of its members a Very Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year, see you all in January.
Friday 15th Decemeber
Just a quick note to say i think everyone who played Local league tonight enjoyed it. We worked it out to have British members against our Foreign friends, with the Foreign Mixed 2 coming out on top in the end. It was a good laugh though and was a good way to end the term.
Thursday 14th December
Just to let everyone know, that we just recieved confirmation that both the Men and Women have qualified for the Student Cup Finals in Leeds in February. I will post more details after Xmas but just wanted to say very well done to everyone involved.
Wednesday 13th December
Xmas Meal time for UEA Volleyball Club. About 30 of us headed to Bella Italia for a 3 course meal, Dave managed to forget the reciept which almost caused problems but between a few of us we negotiated that it wouldn't matter. I think and hope most people enjoyed their meal which apart from one starter went without much of a hitch. Special mention to Max for forgetting about the meal until he was contacted at 7.15 and rushed to make it in time, see awards page for details!!
After the meal we all headed to our usual stop of the Bell where the club bought everyone a shot of apple sourz as an early Xmas present (aren't we kind). Some people with exams and work to do the next day headed home, some stayed out alot later than they planned to but all in all i think it was a good night. Those of us left headed to optic, just in time to miss out on our free drinks, Damn! But that didn't stop people from enjoying the night, If nothing else we could all laugh at, i mean with tennis who were having fun making tits out of themselves in VIP.
Sunday 10th December
UEA Women 1 missed todays EVF tournament as they had an EVA Shield match against National Division 3 team Dartford directly after the Eastern Regional Tournament. Above all else it gave the girls some much needed game time together.
A nice number of people stayed behind, or made their way to the match to support the girls in their match and i know it was greatly appreciated. Unfortunately the girls couldn't quite manage an upset although at times it looked possible, the end result was 0-3 (21-25, 15-25, 15-25). The first set saw a good fight back from the girls and perhaps they deserved to at least take a set from this game. The scoreline didn't do them justice to be fair.
One thing which stood out was the commitment from the girls, they number of times several of them were on the floor trying to pick up balls was amazing, some good serving and great defensive play kept them within touching distance of Dartford. The difference really was only the attack, with Dartford getting more variation and consistent setting allowing them to gain more kills. It showed us what the girls need to work on which is good as that was the primary reason for entering the competiton this season, only regret being not getting the game with Tees Valley played in the Cup. Jennifer was named MVP by Dartford for all her running around and managing to control what was a difficult game to set in. Well done girls you did us all proud.
Sunday 10th December
The mens tournament saw most of the regular teams present, with Cambridge appearing for the first time. The tournament was played in two pools of 4 to begin with, then the top four teams playing off for the first 4 spots. Also the other teams played off for positions 5 through to 8. UEA came through winners of Group A (again), with Peterborough coming second. In Group B Ferrets and GNG Bedford finished first and second with 95 points each. In the play-offs, Bedford and UEA won through to the final, with UEA finishing the day as winners again. In the other half of the draw, Brentwood and Vipers won through, with Brentwood just pipping that 'final'. Overall UEA still dominate with Ferrets 2nd, Peterborough 3rd and GNG Bedford 4th.
In the womens tournament the six teams played in two leagues of three. The Eastern Region U16's appeared for the first time. Is it in? and Rhino's won their groups, and were joined in the top league by Brentwood for the 2nd half of the day. After playing each other, Is It In? finished top, with Brentwood 2nd. In the other league the Eastern Regional U16 team finished top.
The Mens team can be extremely proud of their performance especially in the way in which they took Bedford apart in the final, probably one of the best performances from UEA since Newcastle 2 years ago. The women had a game against Dartford in the cup, meaning some of the players who don't usually get a chance to play did so, and can be very proud of the way they played. Its good to see so many different players play at this tournament.
Sunday 3rd December
Today saw the Mens 1st team travel down to London to take on National Div 3 side Dulwich Knights. We got there in time to watch the end of a thrilling 5 setter between Dulwich Tuskers and Norwich Ladies, this meant that as Keith was unable to make it down for the game, Lilian, injured and unable to play lent a hand by coaching. The guys put up a great fight and things could so easily have swung the other way but unfortunately we lost 1-3 (23-25, 17-25, 25-20, 14-25).
The 1st set was unbelievable close with the teams trading points and neither pulling away. It was only at the end the team experience of Dulwich told and they closed the set out. Second set and the setter who resembled Peter Crouch in height tipped almost every free ball we gifted them and we didnt learn not picking the dumps up and losing the set in the process. Third set, the team played very well, using its substitutions to good effect. Should have won the set by more, almost making the same mistakes as we did against Danes but this time closing out the set well. Finally in the fourth set, im not quite sure what happened, the first pass deteriorated and we couldn't build attacks, the confidence went and we lost by a rather large margin, but this shouldn't take away from a good performance against an experienced team who play together every week. It was a very enjoyable match and made the entry to the EVA cup well worth it.
Sunday 11th November
Today both of the 1st teams made the trip up the a47/17 to RAF Cranwell to play in the Student Cup Qualifiers. Before we had left, several girls hadn't shown up and we had a major problem as we only had 5 players avaliable. Frantic ringing round was done, but understandably most weren't awake at the ungodly hour of 6.30/7am. Thank you to all those who answered but too late or in London, but an absolutely massive thanks to Aurelie who came to the clubs rescue by agreeing to come and play despite only being a beginner and having no warning whats so ever. Hero is the only word that comes to mind.
Anyway onto the action. The Women despite no subs and a slightly under strength side still performed remarkably well. They stuck to their game plans and came out with 2-0 victorys over both 'Lufbra' 2 and Worcester. Infact they trounced Worcester 25-2 in one of the sets, with Jen almost serving out an entire set before slipping up on set point!! They also played Oxford who proved the biggest test of the day. The game was close but the Girls lost 2-0. Still it put them in 2nd place and in with a good shout of qualification.
The men played Cambridge 1 first, a tough game against one of the countries strongest teams, but a game we should have done better in. We lost 2-0 with our serve and use of the free ball letting us down, not taking away from the fact they were a strong Team. We played well to beat Kent before setting up a final game to decide 2nd place with 'Lufbra' 2. We absolutely annihilated them in the first set something like 25-9, but somehow we lost our heads and lost the 2nd set. Not a good position to be in. Fortunately although not performing to our normal levels we won the 3rd set to finish second on the day and still habouring hopes of qualification.
Overall a good day out with both teams finishing 2nd and hopefully both qualifying for the finals in leeds next semester. Fingers Crossed.
Saturday 10th November
Saturday saw the mens 1st team travel down to Watford for our Cup 2nd round game against National Div 2 side Watford Danes. Although they were sitting bottom of Division 2 we were aware it would prove to be one of the toughest games we would play this year. We turned up to find the venue had changed from a new sports center to a local community center with a rather cramped court, but it was better than some halls we have played in.
For most of the game we were more than a match for Watford but somehow, we still lost 0-3 (24-26, 16-25, 23-25). Although we played well our mental attitude raised more than enough questions to keep us entertained in training until christmas, throwing away a solid lead in the first set and a massive 7 point lead in the third set. To get to set point against a div 2 team and to lead 18-12 at one point was very good in the first place, but to throw away such leads is just suicide.
We attacked very well and the match was over quickly with both teams making plenty of first time kills, not really a match with long rallies. Watford hit the ball late outside and used a shoot in the middle effectively while our outside hitters were having to be smart for points. Second set, Dave got injured and although the team adapted eventually to a system we hadn't played before the set was probably beyond our reach by then. The third set proved a good set and our lead was undone by one player who served well into an area we know we have problems in, something else we will work on, and as disappointing as it was to lose a game so much closer than a 3-0 scoreline suggests it was an invaluable workout for us leaving us without the hangover a 5 set match could have handed us with tomorrows qualifiers in mind. We still can look forward to at least one more game in this competition through the shield.
Sunday 5th November
Sunday was the 2nd of the seasons EVF tournaments and it saw Vipers, Cambridge Rhino's, Stowmarket and Marham play for the first time this season. The tournament was played in two pools of 5 to begin with, with the winners of each group playing off, and both second placed teams playing each other, and so on. UEA and Ferrets won their groups, with UEA comfortably winning the final. Third and forth place play off was between Brentwood and GNG Bedford, with Brentwood winning that game. Overall, after the first two tournaments UEA are on top, Ferrets 2nd, Brentwood 3rd, closely followed by GNG Bedford.
In the womens tournament the six teams played in two leagues of three. A team from Brentwood joined Ruskin in playing for the first time this season. Is it in? and UEA won their groups, and were joined in the top league by Stowmarket for the 2nd half of the day. After playing each other the three top teams were only seperated by 2 points, with Stowmarket coming out on top and UEA finishing second. In the other league Brentwood gained the most points to finish forth. Overall Is it in? lead from Rhino's and Stowmarket. (taken from Norfolkvolleyball.org)
Well done to all players, the men and women both winning their respective competitions and playing well throughout the day.
Sunday 15th October
Unfortunately we have had to forfeit our Womens Cup 1st round game against Tees Valley as a new date could not be arranged, but because we as a club did all we possibly could we have been allowed entry into the shield, so the girls will have a game in the shield to look forward to.
Sunday 8th October
Sunday saw the first of 6 EVF tournaments, one of our main focus' for the season. Low on entries due to the EVA Cup, both the men and womens teams had a round robin event with the mens team playing 6 games of 50 serves and the womens playing 3 games of 60 serves.
It was a good work out for both teams with the womens team having many new players it was all about getting to know each other as a team. They progressed well as the day went on and although not quite managing a victory they were playing some experienced teams and can seek revenge on November 5th at the next game. The mens team tired from Saturdays trip to York were slow to start against local League rivals Aviva but went from strength to strength remaining undefeated up until the last game against Brentwood when fatigue set in and we were unable to sing the undefeated song at the end of the day. However this tournament isn't about winning games its about the accumulation of all the points you score in the tournament, and scoring 5 more than the Brentwood team that beat us UEA Men won their first EVF tournament for 2 years.
All in all a very good weekend of volleyball and their should be something every weekend for a while now, be it local league, EVF, Student cup whatever, so keep your eyes on the fixture table.
Saturday 7th October
Saturday saw the mens team take a long day trip up to York in the EVA Cup 1st Round. Leaving at 7am and returning 12 hours later it was a pretty strenuous trip however it was a successful one with the guys picking up a 3-0 victory to take us through to the 2nd round. With a squad of 10 players there were plenty of options and we used them all. In all three sets we stormed into the lead by about 6 or 7 points, even 10 in the final set but still managed to frighten ourselves by letting York get back into things and finishing each set strongly. However we still took the victory 25-20, 25-22, 25-21.
This means the men progress to round 2 where we will have to go away to Watford to play a National League Division 2 team Watford Danes on the 11th November. A very stern test still relatively early in the season but leaving enough time for the team to work on the defensive side of their game. We will take the mini bus to Watford that day so there maybe a space or 2 if anyone would like to come and support us.
Monday 2nd October
Well the first social of the year has been and gone, it was a good old fashioned pub crawl that as per usual due to time took in less pubs than perhaps we would have liked but it still did the job. Starting slowly at uni we weren't sure about the turnout, however by the time we got to the 1st pub on Unthank Road there were over 30 of us. This was a pretty constant number in the Rose Valley Tavern and the Bell before we hit Optic when they dipped a little but fair play to those who stayed, those who went home can make it up at the next social. Anyway in the bell there were rumours of Karaoke at Optic and sure enough when we got there, it was all set up upstairs. Joe and ID led the way by singing their infamous classic on the UEA Karaoke circuit; Uptown Girl before the main 3 committee members were next up to look like tits. What was good to see was some of the new members getting up and singing too. Not quite sure what happened to alot of people but there were a good 10 or so still left at 2am. There is a photo of the survivors but i know this is missing a few people who i saw upstairs after and even by the kebab shop. Due to the success of the Karaoke maybe we will have to plan that social earlier this year, there are photos in the Gallery of last years efforts. Also in the Gallery you will find all the photos from last night.
Sunday 27th August
This past weekend saw the first ever Major Beach volleyball event to come to Norfolk. The Great Yarmouth Beach Classic was a great success with over 140 players attending and good weather all weekend despite the original forecast suggesting alot of rain.
This is a tournament we as a club should have a big hand in over the next few years, it is right on our doorstep to play in, and more importantly we can have a hand in running it and making the tournament become bigger and better each time it is held.
This year saw two UEA teams enter. Joe and ID entered the mens div 2 pairs only to find out that the divisions had been merged and could end up facing some of the countries top teams. Although they didn't find themselves up against the top 5 or 6 teams they had two games against some of the best of the second standard of teams. Given that it was their first beach tournament, and pairs is a massively different game to the indoor game, they did well. They learnt as the day went on and despite losing both games they certainly improved and pulled off some decent moves. The top teams were great to watch and unfortunately i couldnt tell you what the sunday was like. However one good thing i do know about from the Sunday was a victory for UEA.
A mens 4s team of Joe, ID, Eoin and Fernando won the Mens 4s division to mean UEA have come away from 2 summer tournaments with Two titles, hopefully an omen for the year to come!!! Congratulations to them.
The photos from the Saturday are up on the gallery and will hopefully inspire some of you to think of some beach tournaments next year.
Sunday 6th August 2006
Norfolk Volleyball now has a website, this will provide a hub for all volleyball information and news in Norfolk. All the local league fixtures will be posted up on this site. Check it out, its only just started but should become a useful site; http://www.norfolkvolleyball.org
Monday 24th July 2006
UEA, men and women have been entered into this years EVA Cup. This is the volleyball equivalent of the FA Cup so its a massive opportunity to get some quality games under our belts. It also answers all of your calls for more games, but it needs commitment from first team players or we will not be allowed to enter again. Basically we are in the first round, with the Women at Home to NVL3 side Tees Valley on 15th November, although Sportspark is unavailable so we need to find another venue for that game, and the Men are away to non-NVL side York Premier Mens on 7th October. If we get knocked out in the 1st or 2nd round we enter the EVA Shield. So we are guaranteed at least 2 full games against National League standard teams. Both the Shield and the Cup have finals which are held at the national finals in April infront of Hundreds of spectators. I will give you more info on this over email but to see the full draw see our fixtures section.
Sunday 23rd July 2006
UEA took a mixed team to the Whitefield International Tournament this weekend and thoroughly enjoyed it. Outdoor summer tournaments are definitely something we should be looking to play in more next year. We arrived on Friday night and got the tents up very quickly before heading into town for food and alcohol. Not too much though as we were to play 9.30 am the next morning.
We played 4 games on the Saturday, we won the 1st two with ease but unfortunately we lost the last 2 and got wet in the process. This meant on the Sunday we would be in the Plate competition and would play between 2 and 4 games depending on our progress. Saturday night we headed to the bar, then to pizza express, a few more bars and back to the Tournament 'disco' to end the night. A little more drinking took place despite having to play at 9.30 am again on the Sunday.
The plate is for all the teams who came 3rd - 5th places in their groups. We had 2 group matches which we won fairly easily putting us through to the semi final, which although a step up in standard we got the victory and booked a place in the final. The final was a very tight contest and we lost the 1st set 30-28 or something similar. Although the score was disputed by the opposition we won the 2nd set and managed to win in comparative ease in the 3rd set and make UEA Tax Dodgers the Mixed Division 2 Plate winners. We had just enough time to watch the end of the Indoor mens final and send Dave up to get our medals and a small trophy to put in the cabinet.
I think everyone enjoyed themselves and would agree it is definitely something worth heading back to next year. Photos will be put up in the Gallery asap.
1st October 2008 - AND WE'RE OFF!
So the new season has started with fantastic numbers turning up to training and social events already, and the club has made a great start to continuing to where they left off last season. If you are interested and haven't joined yet, it's not too late. Training is on every Thursdays, socials are underway and games will follow suit in the next week or two. See coaches and training for more info and the contacts page for ways to get in touch. Also come and join the UEA volleyball club facebook group to introduce yourself. So you are all still more than welcome to come and join one of the best, and most successful clubs at UEA.
WELCOME TO ALL INTERESTED NEW MEMBERS
For anyone who is looking at this website and is interested in joining one of the top University volleyball clubs in the country and officially one of the best sports clubs at UEA then you should find most of what you need to know on this website. If you have any other questions though feel free to email the club or its president Max Askwith (addresses can be found on the contact page). The club welcomes all types of players, complete beginners right through to professional and can accommodate everyone. We have a beginners session, mens and womens squad sessions both with more than one teams who enter regular competitions, and more social mixed games too, and the socials that CANNOT be missed. Have a look for our group on facebook and come an introduce yourself for a headstart on all of the fun that will take place come September, when you will be able to join us at Sportsmart.
CASAs
At this years union of uea students club and society awards, Volleyball were out to try to retain the Sports club of the year award they picked up in last years slightly less successful year, and were nominated for the big award alongside two others. Katie and Sam were also both
UPCOMING EVENTS:
WHATS NEW?