Scottish Volleyball’s most anticipated weekend of the season has now come to a close.
Over four days – from April 17-20 – Edinburgh Pleasance played host to 15 matches, with 12 finals and three showcase games, which made for a total of 30 teams taking to the taraflex!
We kicked off the festivities with our Boys School Cup Final as North Berwick High School and Girvan Academy battled to be the first team to hoist a trophy. It was North Berwick who came out the gates first, with a blistering start to claim the first set 25-12. However, the second set was a much more closely contested affair. Girvan seemed in control, holding a 21-18 lead before North Berwick thundered back and claimed the trophy with a second set score of 25-22, and a 2-0 to conclude our first match.
Next up, it was the Girls School Cup Final, with Woodfarm High School facing Belmont Academy. Belmont were on a mission in this one! After dominating set one 25-9, they withstood the resurgent Woodfarm side to ensure the cup would be travelling back to South Ayrshire. A second set score of 25-17 saw Belmont crowned our 2025 Champions.
Our final match of day one persisted of a slightly older player demographic, as the Scottish Volleyball Men’s Legends took the court. The sides were led out by captains Barry Robertson, and Scottish Volleyball President Andy Fleming, and greeted by adoring fans and families who were ready for a show! It was team Robertson who struck first, claiming control of the set late with a 25-19 win. The second set was a dicey one, as Team Fleming battled to stay in the contest, fighting their way back to a 20-23 deficit before some traded points meant they fell 23-25, putting Team Robertson up 2-0. Our final set was played to 15 – we thought this would be for the best – but the intensity never lowered. After going down 5-1 early, some inspired play from Team Fleming, spearheaded by Alan Krawczyk, changed the momentum of the game as they claimed set 3, 15-13, with Team Robertson winning 2-1 on the night.
Day two kicked off with the first of our Students Indoor Finals, as Heriot-Watt University battled Strathclyde University for the Men’s trophy. It was an enthralling contest, with both teams obviously up for the match! Strathclyde struck first, claiming a tight first set 25-22 before Heriot-Watt responded, winning set two by the same scoreline and tying us up at one-a-piece. The third set continued to show the class both teams possessed, as they traded points and fought to get a foothold in the contest. With the teams tied at 17-17, Heriot-Watt stepped it up a gear and put themselves within a set of being crowned champion after winning 25-21. The momentum seemed to be swinging Heriot-Watt’s way, as they lead 20-14 in the set, but Strathclyde were not finished yet as they answered back with a 9-3 run to tie things at 23. However, Heriot-Watt dug deep, finding the strength needed to be a champion as they claimed set four 25-23, winning 3-1!
Our second match of the day saw Edinburgh University against St Andrews University in the Women’s Student Indoor Final. It was a blistering start for Edinburgh, who play their home games out of Pleasance, as they claimed a 25-12 victory in set one and set the tone for the match. They continued on in fine form, ultimately winning the 3-0.
In the first of two showcase matches on Friday, the men’s Balltime Ai All Stars match was up next. Made up of a mix of the best premier division players in Scotland, it was certainly going to be an exciting match! Team Orr took the first set 25-18, before taking the second 25-20. The teams played the third set regardless, with Team Orr continuing their winning form, taking the final set 15-7. Following on was the women’s match, Team Brownlee taking on Team Moretta. Team Moretta got off to a swinging start, leading the first set 22-20. It was Team Brownlee however who won, clawing their way back to win 25-23. They kept this momentum going, claiming the second set 25-18, before Team Moretta won the 3rd 15-11, bringing the end to an excellent showcase match!
Day 3 saw our Senior Plate and Cup competitions take place. An early start for Lenzie and Volleyball Aberdeen Vortex, as they took to the court for their Plate final at 10:00. It was Lenzie who got us going, taking the first set 25-23. Volleyball Aberdeen made their presence known, coming back to win the match 3-1. Congratulations to Finlay Orr for his excellent performance throughout the match, being named as the match MVP. St Andrews University were back for their second match of the weekend, taking on Women’s One league winners Su Ragazzi 2. They didn’t show any signs of tiredness from their previous match, taking the first two sets convincingly 25-17, 25-21. It was the third set where Su Ragazzi 2 began to make headway, taking the set 25-22. St Andrews didn’t let that get them down for long however, and it was the university team who took the match win 3-1. Emma Norman from St Andrews was crowned MVP for this match.
In a tale as old as time, City of Glasgow Ragazzi were taking on age old rivals City of Edinburgh in the men’s SportsHotels Scottish Cup. The teams hadn’t met in the finals of the Scottish Cup since 2019, where City of Edinburgh took home the win with 3-1. It started much the same way this year, with City of Edinburgh taking the first set 25-21. City of Glasgow came back swinging however; taking the next 2 sets 25-19 and 25-21. City of Edinburgh were keen to keep the match going, winning the 4th 25-22 and taking us along for a 5th set decider. It was all to play for, point for point for the majority of the set. An overpass from City of Edinburgh at 14-12 allowed City of Glasgow an all or nothing swing, finding the court and taking the win 3-2. Andrii Turyk was awarded the MVP award for his excellent performance throughout the 5 set thriller. Our last match of the day was the Women’s SportsHotels Scottish Cup, with last year’s winners City of Edinburgh taking on newly promoted Glasgow Mets. With the teams having played each other twice this set with one win apiece, it was definitely going to be a match that could go either way! It was the Edinburgh based side who drew first blood, a 25-23 win giving them the first set. In a second set that lasted 31 minutes, Glasgow Mets drew the match even with a 27-25 win. They certainly kept that streak going, cruising past City of Edinburgh in the third to go 2 sets to 1. City of Edinburgh showed why they were crowned last year’s cup winner though, as they fought back in the fourth set to force a fifth. It continued to be close in the 5th, but a serve out the back from Glasgow Mets named City of Edinburgh the Cup winners for the third year in a row. COE captain Rachel Morrison was named match MVP, with her 5.6 kills per set average certainly helping City of Edinburgh in their fight for the win.
Our fourth and final day saw our Junior Cup finals take place. Starting off with an all NUVOC affair in the U16 Boys Final, it was the NUVOC Pumas who took home the win with a convincing 2-0 over the club counterparts, with outside hitter Gabriel taking home the MVP trophy. The U16 Girls quickly followed. NUVOC Lionesses this time taking on Caledonia West, who were looking to make this their 4th win in a row. Despite a valiant effort from the Edinburgh based squad, Caledonia West were victorious yet again, winning the match 2-0, with their player Sasha named as MVP. NUVOC were back again in the U18 Boys, taking on Dundee Anchor in their first ever Scottish Cup final appearance. It was an incredibly close game, with both teams leading at different points in each set. NUVOC claimed the win 2-0, with setter Michael being crowned the MVP for the match. Finishing off the day, and the weekend, was the U18 Women’s Cup. Caledonia West were back again, this time taking on City of Edinburgh Eagles. These teams had played each other already in the U18 SV League so it was sure to be a good game! While the first set was pretty close, Caledonia West showed their confidence and consistency, taking the match 2-0. Sasha was again named MVP, in what was a great weekend for her.
The event was the most-attended, both online and in-person, that we’ve ever hosted. It was great to have so many fans, friends and family, along to the pleasance or watching back home. We’d like to thank all our sponsors and partners for their invaluable support throughout the event, with special thanks to Edinburgh Council for supporting the event.