This was nearly the perfect end to a terrific season

This was nearly the perfect end to a terrific season.

This was a day when there was so much at stake, and when the dust settled Su Ragazzi Volleyball Club were winners of the SVL Premier Championship for men and women – what a triumph!

The day started with 10.00 o’clock FBS times in both South Queensferry and Coatbridge High Schools. In South Queensferry the Fabulous Suettes were being fabulous in their winner-takes-all match against City of Edinburgh women. In Coatbridge the City of Glasgow Ragazzi boys were playing City of Edinburgh for bragging rights as the Ragazzi Team had already won the Championship.

The match in the East began with the team from the west dominating the play, then letting things slip, and ending up on the losing side with a 23-25 score line. In the men’s match the atmosphere was celebratory as the home side went through their repertoire of plays, and comfortably controlled the game to emerge as 25-23 winners.

Set 2 for the Suettes saw them trail 9-15 to a determined Edinburgh side before Coach Vince Krawczyk introduced Jillian Barton into the fray. Captain Jill provided some much needed ‘oomph’ to the Glasgow side, and with the two Middle Blockers running riot the score was turned around and the side from the west emerged as 25-22 winners.

Set 2 for the men saw the visitors refusing to ‘play-ball’ and accept the script for the match as they stormed to a 25-20 win. On the back of some excellent first tempo play the home side ‘rolled their sleeves up’ and dominated set 3, successfully emerging with a 25-16 score line, while the girls won their set 3 with the same score line.

Set 4 saw the girls continue to control the game, and dominate proceedings. They had to work hard for their win, but they we determined, winning the set 25-23, and with that the match 3 sets to 1, and with that the Premier League Championship!

The guys hoped for something similar, but no one told City of Edinburgh that they were supposed to lose on this day of celebrations, so they were full of vim and vigour as they stormed to a 25-19 win, taking the match to a fifth set.

Ally Jack’s team were playing for pride, were playing to win, were playing for their supporters in the large crowd and at 8 points each the match hung on a knife edge……..but our boys were the Champions, and they had earned that through a season long campaign, and in this final match they would not be beaten by their closest rivals. The City of Glasgow Ragazzi team won the set 15-11, with it the match 3 sets to 2, and with it the Premier Championship.

Su Ragazzi II
Billed as a High Noon Showdown between the two teams who have dominated the season in Division I of the Scottish Volleyball League, the match between Su Ragazzi II and NUVOC should have been a humdinger……..but NUVOC had other ideas and dominated proceedings from start to finish. They were excellent and thoroughly deserved their 3 sets to zero win.

The home side had opportunities to score runs of points, and in the third set in particular we had a 24-23 lead, but it wasn’t to be our day, and we could only watch in envy and frustration as the team from the East did their celebratory dance!

So, in season 2016/17 the Fabulous Suettes fabulously won the treble (League Cup, Scottish Cup, and Premier Division Championship). The City of Glasgow Ragazzi boys won the double (Scottish Cup and Premier League Championship), and the men of Su Ragazzi II won the National Plate and were runners up in the First Division Championship. Not a bad return for all the hard work put in by everyone associated with the Club.

Su Ragazzi Volleyball Club – it’s all about the people…and winning things!