Volleyball destroy Southampton
Imperial 1st 3–0 Southampton 1st
Hot on the heels of the Imperial Women’s Volleyball team steamrolling Nottingham 3-0, the Men’s team have floored Southampton 3-0 to advance to the final 8 of the BUCS tournament.
Imperial’s 12-man squad was in the mood for a win, having just seen the basketball team beat City at Ethos. The tone was set early in the game as Imperial jumped out to an early first set lead, though some serving errors crept in to keep the scoreboard ticking over on both sides. Imperial stabilised from a brief Southampton comeback, taking the set 25-11.
The second set was a demolition. A 9-0 initial lead, served by setter Marc, ensured Southampton never stood a chance. Strong blocking from middle hitter Alessandro took the wind out of the visitor’s sails and Marc teamed up with Paulus for some spectacular, undefendable short hits.
The last set was much more even, and Southampton maintained a narrow lead for much of the time. Imperial drew level at 20-20 and then, after one particularly sensational rally, took the win 25-22.
It was a solid all-round performance from each of the seven players who took to the court, especially considering one, Bruno, was injured in the warm-up. Despite a few mistakes in the last set, there wasn’t a weak link, with both attacking and defensive combinations booking Imperial a slot at Sheffield and the BUCS top 8.
“Most of the players in the Men’s team play at the top level, so it is no surprise we won today.” Imperial Coach Ercüment Karakoc commented after the game. “We wanted to make it to the top eight and we did. We expect to face tougher competition at Sheffield. Now that we have made it, we are going to drink and have fun.”
The win is just another part of the excellent season being enjoyed by the Imperial Volleyball squads in BUCS. So far, the Men’s team have won 10 games from 11, and both the Men’s and Women’s are off to the BUCS top eight. They have fierce competition, with some highly professional teams to beat, but if they have a good game, they stand a real chance.
