OUVC: Oxford University Volleyball Club

07/03/10WNVL back on track

After the disappointment of losing to league rivals Bath, WNVL picked themselves up and picked up some important points on the road against Cardiff Tigers and Wiltshire Mavericks. They won both matches in straight sets, and at a canter if the scorelines are anything to go by - losing only 7 and 10 points in the third sets of the two games. The results mean that they're back at the top of the table, until Bath's results come in anyway...

This coming week sees the final chapter of BUCS for this season. M2 will be looking to overcome the disappointment of Wednesday's defeat against bottom-placed Coventry when they take on top-placed Warwick away. For M1 and W1 the BUCS Championships weekend in Sheffield beckons. The women will be hoping to improve upon their 4th place finish at the EVA Finals. The men on the other hand will probably just be happy to be at BUCS for the first time since 2005/6 when they finished 3rd.

01/03/10Oxford go for big BUCS!

M1 and W1 today found out their opposition at BUCS. The men face a tough pool of Sheffield Hallam, Bath, and Manchester, while the girls will look forward to taking on Leeds Met, Southampton and UCL. With two weeks to go, both teams are already fired up... it's gonna be a good'un!

28/02/10Varsity - we win on set difference!

The 38th annual Varsity match against Cambridge took place today in Oxford. The event ended with both sides equal on two matches a piece - M2 and W1 both won 3-0, while M1 lost 3-1 and W2 lost 3-0.

The day was rounded off with a trip to Pizza Express, where they managed to do a pretty decent job of catering to all the people that stayed - about 100 in total!

Many thanks go to all the organisers - Claire, Krzysztof and Andreas are the names that spring to mind - along with all the people that kindly gave up their time to ref or line judge, and the noisy supporters and commentator (Darek!). Lastly, well done to all the players and coaches involved - we hope that even if you didn't get the result you wanted you still had fun. Oh, and the MVPs! Well done to Claire (and her Dad for travelling 3000 miles to cheer her on!), Sven, Giovanni, and Lucy :)

21/02/10An interesting day

The day started brightly, with WNVL easing past New Forest 3-0, without having to play their best. Meanwhile, M1 were travelling to London to take on Imperial in the BUCS crossover match. However, on arriving at the sports hall they discovered there were no referees. Oxford eventually left London without having played the match, and it will be up to BUCS to decide whether the match will be postponed or if either team should be awarded a walkover. Back in Oxford, WNVL were playing their second match, against league leaders Bath. After having watched an uninspired Bath performance against New Forest the ladies were well up for inflicting the beach specialists' first defeat of the season. The match swung both ways, and it looked to tip in Oxford's favour when Bath's setter was injured and Oxford took advantage and the next two sets to go 2-1 up. Bath were not done though, and fought back to such a degree that they were 8-3 when the teams changed ends in the 5th set. Oxford responded with a great fight back of their own to lead 12-10, but let it slip right at the death...

In other news, the Alumni Match & Club Dinner have been pencilled in for 15 May. Further details will be announced soon, but please make a note of the date in your diaries. Apologies to anyone that already has plans for that weekend :(

15/02/10W1 make the big smash; no trophy

OUVC's W1 went to Norwich this weekend to participate in the EVA Student Cup. It was the first time they'd been truly tested this season, having come through the league having barely dropped a set. They played Loughborough, Bristol and York in the group stage, making a great comeback against Bristol to ensure that they qualified as top of their group, meaning they avoided the tournament favourites Leeds Met in the next round.

On the second day they played Sheffield in the quarter-finals, and thoroughly outclassed the opposition. The match was quickly over, and they progressed to the semis where they played the home team of the tournament - UEA. On paper the two sides looked evenly matched, but it was Oxford that started and finished the match more nervously, making more unforced errors that ultimately cost them the match.

They then played ULU (who had been beaten by Leeds Met in the other semi), in the 3rd/4th playoff. Oxford made a very strong start, capitalising on their opponents lack of focus, and took the first set. In the second, ULU regained their composure, and were able to level the match at one set all. In the third set Oxford gave their all, but were unable to find the energy needed to halt ULU's momentum.

Congratulations to the girls on achieving a fantastic 4th place, and well done to Coach Jon (and the travelling supporters) for guiding them to it!

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Welcome!

OUVC is a volleyball club with teams that cater for students and non-students, and we're also involved with teaching volleyball in UK schools. If you'd like to learn more about the club, please visit our Club Info page.

The NVL teams started their season recently, and the students will begin once term starts. If you are interested in playing in either of these teams please contact the appropriate captain.