The University Women’s Volleyball team are celebrating winning bronze in the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) Championship Super 8 Cup, ranking them third amongst university women's volleyball teams in the UK.
The team travelled to Bournemouth at the weekend (Saturday and Sunday 5-6 March) to compete in the knockout round tournament. The squad secured their spot in the championships as a result of a fantastic 2015-16 season, which saw them finish third in the BUCS Premier South division, ahead of Oxford, Cambridge and Kings College London.
Consistent wins over the course of the season had guaranteed the squad a place in the Championship Super 8 Cup for the first time in the University’s history.
A strong start saw the team beat Edinburgh with a closely fought victory of 25-21, 26-24. They then faced Bournemouth, knowing they needed a single set win to qualify for the semi-finals. The team delivered a fantastic performance to beat their competition 25-14, setting them up for a semi-final against Durham – a squad that largely consists of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) U.S. players enrolled on the university’s full-time Volleyball programme.
Knowing the match would be tough, Sussex brought the game to Durham, finally bowing out in the third set by 25-18. Sussex Volleyball coach James Clow praised the team’s performance, calling the bronze placing: “An outstanding achievement.”
The event, held at the LeAF Academy in Bournemouth, is a grueling three days of matches against some of the best teams in the country, including Under-21s international players and Olympians from London 2012’s Team GB. And the Sussex squad was the underdog of the competition, noted for their gutsy performance throughout.
Team captain and Sussex Fund supported Sports Scholar Evelin Potočnik said: “The squad were fantastic and played at another level.” Despite being on average 15cm shorter in height than players on the other teams - the tallest Sussex player being shorter than the smallest player on the opposing teams - the team were complimented by coaches throughout the weekend for their show of defense. Evelin said: “We have a very good chemistry as a team so we really fight for our points. This was a perfect ending to the season.”
Players on the Cup Team: Evelin Potočnik (Captain), Elodie Muchembled, Graciela Clemente Ragone, Janette Tong, Stacey Wong, Tsz Shan Lo, Wai Lam Lui, Zoe Cheung.
