York volleyball teams have enjoyed a mixed season with some great results, particularly for the women interspersed with some disappointing ones. With 12 points up for grabs the teams have a great opportunity to make a significant contribution to the overall tally, but it won’t be easy.
The Men’s side unfortunately had a disappointing year finishing only 4th in their league with only 9 points. The highlight of which was a 3-2 win over league runners up Huddersfield as well as a run to the final of the local league Yorkshire Cup final. However overall, it was a disappointing campaign for the York side who only scored one other league victory in a competitive environment.
The Roses match is likely to be a difficult fixture for the men, the Lancaster have had an excellent year winning all of their matches coming out on top of the 2A league, moreover Lancaster emerged victorious when the teams played each other in Roses last year.
Despite this, captain Kai Chan is confident of victory when the two sides meet believing that York’s results this year are not represented by the quality of the side. The team have embarked on a intensive training regime prior to the match and Chan is confident that the team will be performing at their best for the big occasion. If they are to come through key men such as Sven Sabas and Chris Stent whom chan describes as the most “stable attacking point of the team” will have to be performing to their maximum, however with the benefit of home advantage victory is surely a realistic prospect.
The Women’s side in contrast have enjoyed a excellent year finishing second in their league playing excellently, if a little inconsistently. They enjoyed a fantastic win against league champions Sheffield but they also lost to Leeds and Newcastle, sides below them in the table and there form did tail off towards the end of the year. Despite that, the overall narrative of their season was very positive.
Captain Cristina Sechel is approaching Roses with confidence, especially in light of their thrashing of Lancaster in last years competition. However like their male counterparts Lancaster have enjoyed an unbeaten season in their league, suggesting that the match will be a closely fought affair. Sechel identifies setter Lucia Linares and Selena Yeung as key all-round players who will be crucial to the performance of the side on the big day.
The Mixed side do not regularly play in the BUCS league, however they did compete in Varsity against Hull winning comfortably 3-0. The Men’s and Women’s teams trains separately for most of the year so gauging their likely level of performance will be difficult, last year Lancaster ran out winners against a depleted York squad. Considering the strength of both Lancaster’s Men’s and Women’s teams, it is likely to be a difficult fixture for York. However due to the untested nature of the both side and with home advantage on side quite literally anything is possible.
This year will also see the debut of a mixed 2nd’s match. President Chris Stent told Vision that “this is a very proud moment for the team, as it shows the continued development of the club”. Stent is confident about the teams chances stating “The Men’s seconds have had a very positive first season in BUCS and the womens have competing in a local league in preparation for their entry into BUCS next year. “Captains Jack Munayer and Trixi Haller have been doing a great job in getting a team together and are in training getting the players together for an inaugural victory.