On Monday 21st of March two volleyball teams attended the All Ireland finals at the UL Sports Arena in Limerick. We arrived early and had a good look around the complex. It was fantastic to be competing in such impressive surroundings and who knows maybe some of our players will go on to attend UL.
Our boys team started their first game early and had a tough battle with Brierhill losing out by 15 points in the end. For the next game they really got into their stride against Doon winning by 12 points. Our last two group games were great displays. They resulted in us beating Clerihan by 11 points and Spa by 4 points. These results meant that we qualified as a high seed in the quarter finals.
Next off were the mixed team in an extremely strong and competitive group. Our first game against Spa was a tough one with them putting up high scores but we kept on fighting losing by 27 in the end. Next, we got right back in it against Fossa to lead the game in the last minute. A really nail biting affair finished in a 27 all draw. Dunamaggin and Brierhill were our last two games. We never dropped our heads and kept on going in both games but ultimately lost out to stronger opposition. We made it through to the quarter finals for another crack at it.
The boys put on a confident display in their quarter finals against Doon and never looked like losing. The game finished with us winning by 12 points in the end. Our semi finals against Brierhill saw us start really well with us leading half way through. Unfortunately, Brierhill got a run on us and pulled in front in the second half, ultimately winning by ten.
The mixed team had a tough quarter final outing against a very high seeded Spa team. We started quite well and served to get some good scores but Spa proved too strong for us in the end winning by 27.
Both teams should be extremely proud of themselves having made the finals. They can hold their heads high considering that the boys are in the top 4 teams in the country and the mixed team are in the top 8. What a fantastic achievement considering they only started training seven weeks earlier.