Tuesday 24-11-2015 - 15:03

This week not only sees our Women's Rugby team head south of the border but also our Women's Volleyball team who will be looking to turn their recent Scottish dominance in to British success.

Women's Volleyball has dramatically risen in the past 3 years to take the top mantel at GCU with last year being their most successful to date. This success has given the ladies an opportunitiy to put their skills to the test at the top level of BUCS competition by traveling down to the UK's second city (Birmingham) to take on Aston University on Sunday (29th November).

We caught up with club president Katrina Bevan and captain Lauren Ramage (pictured with Neil Alexander, VP SEBE and sports policy lead) to get their thoughts ahead of this weekends big game.

 

What does university sport mean to you?

Katrina: Sport is one of my favourite parts of university life.  It means meeting new people, making unreal memories and experiencing university life to the full.  

Lauren: Well let’s just say my time at university wouldn’t be nearly as good if I wasn’t a member of a sports team. The majority of my friends at university have been made through sports at Caley and the most memorable experiences have been through training, competing and socialising with my team. Knowing that I have matches and training every week gets me through my heap of coursework and it’s certainly a great excuse to make a weekly appearance at Wednesday Night Bamboo, I’ve currently made it to all 10 weeks in a row.

 

Why should students get involved in university sport?

Lauren: It’s a great opportunity to really get involved in university life and an excellent way to socialise and make more friends which is what university is all about. As our university is quite small compared to the other Uni’s in Glasgow, it’s a lot easier to interact and get to know the majority of people across all the sports team… We didn’t win the most sociable university on Sports tour in Spain for nothing! Oh, and being involved in sports also looks fabulous on your CV as employers see that you’re a team player. If you’re like myself and not from Scotland then it is also a fantastic opportunity to see more of the country as you compete against other universities.

Katrina: It's a great way to meet new people. The majority of my friends at university are the one's I have met through playing sport and are the one's I will definitely keep in touch with once I graduate.  It's something that gives you a break from work and allows you to feel like you're a part of the university and the Student's Association. Due to being a small university, there is a strong feeling of camaraderie among the different sports teams at GCU which is unique and great to be part of! #blueandwhitearmy

 

What makes Women's Volleyball special?

Katrina: It's important that you connect with all of your team, otherwise it just doesn't work! That's what has been one of the key parts to our success - we are all really close.  Being part of the volleyball team and having watched it grow and become more of a recognised sport at GCU over the past three and a half years has been amazing.

Lauren: Women’s Volleyball started off as a very small club and when I joined in first year we struggled to put together a team. Winning wasn’t even an option and we were lucky enough if we even won a set. However, over the years the club has progressed substantially with a huge increase in members. Last year was the most successful year GCU Volleyball has ever witnessed where we won the league, the Scottish Conference Cup, the Glasgow Taxis Cup, and Team of the Year at the Sports Ball. This year is the first year the team has ever been in the top division where we are currently second. Previously, women’s volleyball weren’t recognised as a big sports team and many people hadn’t even heard of us, but now we are one of the most successful teams in University and in Scotland, and have definitely progressed the most over the years.

 

What makes the matches against English Universities so important?

Lauren: We’ve never played outside of Scotland before so it’s a whole new experience for our team. It’s exciting as we don’t know what to expect from the English universities in terms of their standard of play.

Katrina: It's not often that GCU teams get the opportunity to compete against English Universities, therefore we are determined to make the most of the experience and play the highest level of volleyball that we can.  The team all understands that we have earned an amazing opportunity and that it will help develop us as a team and as players individually.  

 

 If you had to summarise your university sports career in three words, what would they be?

Katrina: Unpredictable, Eventful, Memorable (minus WNB nights)

Lauren: Success, friendships ,WNB

 

Keep up to date with how the ladies get on by checking the Students' Association and GCU Sport Facebook pages.

Photos by Robert Wilson.