Santry Calypso beat Gardians Volleyball Club at the National League Championship final this past weekend, making it Santry’s third-ever league title after wins in 2003 and 2013.
The invigorating match saw Santry come from 2-sets down to win the Women’s Premier Division Grand Final at the Watershed Arena in Kilkenny. The North Dubliners backed up their League Leaders shield in style, with team players Giulia Fagiani and middle Carly Donaghy (who was also named MVP) making a powerful difference.
Gardians had comebacks of their own in each of the first two sets and looked set to complete successive League and Cup doubles, but Saturday's gruelling 5-set eliminator with UCD took its toll with Calypso getting stronger as the match progressed.
The final ended with a score of 26-28, 24-26, 25-19, 25-23, 15-8.
Although volleyball is still a minority sport in Ireland, it is the fifth most popular sport in the world. Today, over 10 000 people are involved in volleyball in Ireland, either playing through schools, clubs or being involved as coaches, officials and volunteers.
The Irish Women's National Volleyball Squad has qualified for the European Small Countries Championships and is currently raising funds to compete at the competition in Luxembourg from 26-28 May 2023.
