Both Dalriada Girls Teams clinch the U18 and U16 All Ireland Titles

Tensions were running high on the morning of the 21st April as the volleyball champions form Northern Ireland, Dalriada School, clashed with the Southern Champions for the All-Ireland Volleyball Titles. Northern Ireland League and Schools Cup winners Dalriada clashed with Loughrea, Galway and St. Mary’s of NAAS, Dublin at both Under 16 and Under 18 ages respectively. These were both long awaited finals which Dalriada had featured in two years previously but never managed to win. Securing even one of the titles this year was a priority of Dalriada coaches Ian Walker, Andrew Nelson and past player Zara Bolton after both girls teams in the school had a hard fight to win the Northern Ireland Schools Cup and League.

The Under 16 game took place first and was the best of three sets. As Under 16 national team coach Walker had some knowledge of the opposition and knew it was always going to be a tough battle. The Loughrea team were all very tall compared to our girls but we didn’t let it fear us. I knew we were sound defensively against a good team and we had absolutely nothing to prove. Our girls went into the first set with an early lead but couldn’t shake Loughrea who were quite successful on hitting outside against our shorter block. However we held on in a tit for tat set and won it 25-21. The first set was won through consistent serving from all players, and strong defence from Naomi Lee, Sarah Bond, Rebecca Rankin and Jade McElderry.  The setters Emily Morrison and Yasmin Walker made it easy for the outside and middle players to put the ball inside the oppositions court.  In the second set Loughrea came out fighting and it was almost a reverse of the first set only we were now chasing the game. About midway through the second set we lost our composure and heads went down. Loughrea seemed to earn a second wind and their serving was very strong. The second set went their way despite a late fight-back from the Dalriada Girls we lost it 25-18 mainly due to nerves. That’s when I knew how much the girls wanted it. During the interval we all knew we had to find something special within ourselves to turn the match around. The girls went out fighting and played some of the best volleyball that I’ve ever seen them playing. Naomi Lee was amazing in defence and the accurate setting of Yasmin Walker and Emily Morrison allowed our main hitter, Jade McElderry to finish off balls with powerful determination. Captain Naomi Lee defended absolutely everything and Anita Cupples accurate serving scored a lot of points for us – she really injected the team! At one point the set was tied at 11-11 and it could easily have gone either way. After we won the next two points Loughrea called a timeout and after this they made two service errors which we capitalised on in the run up to the decisive 15th point which was a tip over their block from Sarah Bond. When the girls realised they had won they were ecstatic as were the supporters and parents who came to watch. MVP of the match was Balymoney girl Jade McElderry who still had to play in the Under 18 squad in the second match. Northern Ireland Volleyball Technical Director, Mr Paul McIlwaine said it was as good a standard at Under 16 as he had ever seen.

The Under 16 All Ireland title belonged to Dalriada at long last but the matter of the U18 title was also up for grabs and having just witness their Under 16 team become victorious, the nerves of the Under 18 squad were on top level. The team got off to a positive start against St. Mary’s with strong serves from Rhian McCarroll and on form setting from Rebecca Lapsley; however St. Mary’s gained ground and the score was tight right to the end of the set. A well-aimed serve from Melissa Traynor was deemed non-returnable and Dalriada came out on top with a score of 25-22.

The second set continued where the first set had ended with both teams being evenly matched taking the score to 11-11. The next few points went on favour of St. Mary’s and the score stood at 18-14 to them; the score remained close however they managed to clinch the second set with a score of 25-22 against Dalriada.

This brought both teams back on level playing field but it was St. Mary’s that took the early lead. A strategic time-out for the Dalriada side gave the girls a chance to get their heads together and regain clarity as the score was once again against them at 14-12. The girls went back on court with their heads held high and a well-timed ace from Shauna Christie boosted the team’s confidence. Jade McElderry showed true fighting spirit killing the ball at every opportunity. Off court support was ripe as the third set came to a climax as Lauren Scott, who was absent from court due to a knee injury, uplifted the crowd and gave the girls the support they needed. The set was won after a battling rally which ended with a misdirected hit from the St. Mary’s side and Dalriada were once again ahead.

Dalriada’s confidence continued into the fourth set, being encouraged by the immense spectator support in the form of Valerie McMillan and flag-waving Gareth Rankin, to name but a few. Dalriada took an early lead and team-spirit was high-nothing was going to stop them now. St. Mary’s head went down and, taking advantage of the situation, Dalriada earned a 14-4 lead. The margin grew bigger after five power serves from Jenny Montgomery bringing the score to 19-4; play continued with St. Mary’s attempting to fight back but the Dalriada team proved too strong and the score went to 23-11; great attitude and encouragement from Jodie McAneaney’s arrival on court seen the final whistle blow at a final set score of 25-11.            The atmosphere was over-whelming as the crowd went wild and team celebrations began. Four years of hard work had finally paid off and as Captain and Player of the Match Rhian McCarroll lifted the shield it proved a highly emotional moment for all the team.  Both All-Ireland titles have finally been brought home to Dalriada and with that a place in the History books. Coaches Walker, Nelson and Bolton were elated with the performance of our players on the day – Walker said they played the best volleyball in four years just when they had to and the win is a testament to their commitment. The Under 18 title has not came north of the border in 5 years and the Under 16 title even longer. The team would like to take the opportunity to give a massive thank-you to all coaches, parents and supporters including local sponsors Thomas Taggart and Sons, McElderry and Sons, and Logowear for their continued support through sponsorship.