Cardiff Volleyball Men’s First Team 1st in Western Region
Cardiff University Volleyball Club have once again topped League One of the BUCS Western region after a clinical run of wins which saw Cardiff rise to the top of the table early on in the season.
Having lost only two sets throughout the competition so far, Cardiff University Mens’ First Team can look forward to a final 16 knockout competition with great expectations, and the chance of taking on some of the country’s most impressive University teams.
Winning the next round would see them through to the final eight, providing Cardiff with the opportunity to make it even further.
Demonstrating their tenacious attitude and determined skills, Cardiff lost only their final game against Bath in an otherwise faultless series of matches.
Cardiff confidently beat Bournemouth last weekend in a 2-0 win (25-19 and 25-22).
Sam Jones delivered a tight defence with a series of clear passes, while Salman Matar, who is in great shape in this second semester, finished the match with a clinical jumping ace serve.
Cardiff were disappointed not to have finished the season without losing a set, going down 2-1 against Bath, but were pleased with their first place finish in the competition.
Throughout the season, stand out performances have been made by Alex Ward with some aggressive attacking at the net and strong blocks, and Robert Kurmis with his explosive jump and attack.
Star player Dimitris Challoumas remains a key pin in the Cardiff team. Throughout the season he has brought extra verve to the team with some dominant attacking spikes that can change the course of a game.
Captain Stephane Planel, who has led the Cardiff team with determined and competitive leadership throughout the season, was disappointed after the Bath game, but remained confident looking forward: “Bath played very well this time and we’ll hopefully play them again at a later stage of the competition.”
Previous wins have cemented Cardiff as the team to beat in the Western region. Having lost only one game this season in both the local Cardiff league and in BUCS, Cardiff can now take their form and confidence into the Student Cup Finals next weekend in Norwich.
Cardiff hope to play to their full potential at the Student Cup, particularly as they are up against Bath once again, and also Leeds Met, who were last years’ winners and who remain a tough team to beat.
However, making a mark at the Student Cup would prove that Cardiff deserve to be considered a real threat as one of the best university volleyball teams in the country.
