Stirling prove their promotion credentials with a strong showing the Scottish Uni’s Cup

On Sunday 17^th February, the Volleyball Scottish Universities Cup came to Stirling, with 12 teams aiming to be crowned champions. 2nd Division Stirling found themselves in a pool of 6 alongside 1st Division sides: Glasgow, Dundee, St Andrews, Strathclyde, and 2nd Division Edinburgh 2nds.

Stirling had won every all previous home matches this season and were hoping to use their home advantage in the first match of the day against Dundee. With a good start crucial in the shortened version of matches being played due to time constraints Stirling made a strong start and pulled ahead in the opening set, eventually winning 15-8. To win the match Stirling only needed to score 9 points as the matches were settled on points difference rather than sets won. Despite losing the second set 15-10, the win went to Stirling, and with it they took their first 1st Division scalp of the day.

Next up was Strathclyde, currently sitting third in the 1st Division, in a new format of first to 21 points as time constraints on the matches forced the organisers to alter the timetable. However, despite this, Stirling began strongly again, opening up a lead which they kept until the closing stages of the match. Positive, aggressive and powerful hitting combined with good serving and strong blocking put Stirling in control with Scott Currie, Kostas Ioannidis, Captain Cammy Murrie and James Brown going toe to toe with the 1st Division side. Libero Dino Vo’s impressive defence and passing allowed Stirling to keep the scores level. Only in the closing stages did Strathclyde assert their authority on the match, winning the final points to record a close fought 21-19 win.

Stirling’s third match was a comprehensive victory over St Andrews, their 2nd victory over 1st Division opposition in the tournament. Substitute setter Danny Ross and hitter Markus Ostlund proved themselves more than able to step up and perform in the 1st team as he replaced club President Innes Shirreff for the majority of the match. Middle hitter Henry Caffarena linked particularly well with the 1st year setter, proving that the hours on the training court were paying off.

In a repeat of 2012’s Conference Cup Final, the fourth match of the day, vs Glasgow, was the most crucial. It was the decider, the winner would most likely reach the semis and the loser would be out of the competition. Stirling again got off to a good start, building an early lead, only for the 1st Division side to level up the scores with some powerful hitting. Both sides went head to head and there was very little between the teams as the matched edged towards its conclusion. In the end it was heart break again for Stirling as Glasgow pulled of a 21-19 win.

The final match of the day was Stirling vs Edinburgh 2nds, although it was something of a dead rubber, both teams had much to prove with a forthcoming league encounter in early March on the horizon. However, Stirling proved to be too strong for their 2nd Division rivals, pulling off a comfortable 21-15 victory and sealing third place in their pool, narrowly missing out a semi-final encounter vs undefeated Scottish Champions Edinburgh 1st. Nevertheless, Stirling proved they belong in the 1st Division, losing by just the narrowest of margins to the sides sitting 2^nd and third in the Scottish 1A Division.

The climax to the NFL season is the most watched single sporting event in the world, with over 167 million people worldwide tuning in to watch last year's game. We all know about the Superbowl half-time show, an event which has become internationally famous, not always for the right reasons, though. This year, international superstar Beyonce will be performing at half-time. 

Extraneous things, like the half-time show, pale into significance, because the reason we're all watching is to witness the on-field action. This year, the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens have battled through sixteen regular season games, and survived the play-offs to make it to the Superdome in New Orleans. 

Of course, there is always drama at each and every Superbowl, but this year's fare promises to be the stuff of legends, regardless of who wins. San Francisco are led by the incredibly talented young quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Kaepernick, however, did not start the season for the 49ers. Veteran Alex Smith was the starter for the first ten games of the season, before succumbing to injury. Kaepernick so impressed as Smith's replacement, that Head Coach Jim Harbaugh made him the permanent starter, even when Smith returned to action. Kaepernick has been a revelation to the 49ers in the seven regular season, and two play-off games that he has started in. His mobility and running ability compliment his passing accuracy to create a dangerous mixture.

Kaepernick is supported in the offense by running-back Frank Gore, tight-end Vernon Davis, and wide-receiver Michael Crabtree, all of which have had great seasons. The 49ers are solid on defence, too. With the Smith 'brothers', Aldon and Justin, middle linebackers NeVarro Bowman and Patrick Willis, and defensive backs Carlos Rogers, Dashon Goldson and Tarell Brown, San Francisco have consistently been one of the top defences over the past two seasons.

The Ravens offense, which will attempt to break down such stiff defensive talent, is led by quarterback Joe Flacco and supported by running-back Ray Rice, tight-end Dennis Pitta and wide-receivers Torrey Smith and Anquan Boldin. Flacco is best know for his production and accuracy when throwing deep down-field to his physical receivers. Back Ray Rice is one of, if not the best, in the league. He can destroy defences with his blistering pace and acceleration, whilst his low centre of gravity and stocky build make him very difficult to bring down. Rice goes into the match as the leading rusher in the post-season.

Baltimore have, in recent years, been renowned for their excellent defence, with it often winning matches for the Ravens. The defence is unquestionably led by future Hall-of-Fame linebacker Ray Lewis, who is due to retire following Superbowl XLVII. He is considered probably to be the greatest defensive player in NFL history, and will be sorely missed by the Ravens organisation. Lewis will have to step up on Sunday night, as the Baltimore defence has been hit by injuries to some key players. Star corner Lardarius Webb misses out, as does Lewis' inside linebacker partner Jameel McClain. However, outside linebackers Terrell Suggs and Paul Kruger are fit, and have had great seasons, and they will look to pressurise Kaepernick at every given opportunity.

Safety Ed Reed is another star of the Ravens defence, and can usually be relied upon to make big plays when it really matters, whilst up front, defensive end Haloti Ngata and nose tackle Ma'ake Kemoeatu are some of the best in the league at forcing sacks and errors by destroying offensive lines.

The final match-up and point of much drama is that the two opposing Head Coaches are, in fact, brothers. Jim Harbaugh coaches the 49ers, and John Harbaugh holds the reigns at the Ravens. Cue several awkward family dinners to come.

Superbowl XLVII kicks off at 11.30pm GMT, and promises to offer up one of the best games in recent history.

1sts Match Report by Caroline Sophie

Stirling Uni 1sts played Dundee Uni at home. We have played this team before many times so we knew that this was going to be a hard match. It was a cold day and the push-back was set very late. Even though Dundee arrived 20 minutes late they started strong in the match and soon scored the first goal. Stirling increased their level of Hockey and started to pass around the Dundee players and managed to form some good combinations, one of them leading to a goal for Stirling Uni. In the last 5 minutes of the first half Dundee had a break-through and scored their second goal. Stirling started strong in the second half, keeping up with the high level of hockey Dundee was playing. We had many chances up front but Dundee's goalkeeper was playing very well and saving many shots on goal. Dundee went 3-1 up after which Stirling increased their play even more which was rewarded with another goal for Stirling Uni towards the end of the match. Despite great effort and good chances Stirling did not manage to score another goal and lost 3-2 in the end. All in all it was a very good match with a high quality of Hockey on both sides.

2nds Match Report by Amy Barr

The Stirling 2nds were playing Herriot Watt University this week at home. Although we have played this team many times before their line up was slightly changed. However even with a stronger team Stirling still played well and managed to have an equal score of 2-2 at half time. In the second half Stirling had most of the possession creating a more challenging game for Herriot Watt. More and more goals were scored by Lynsey Waddell, ending in a 6-3 victory for Stirling. All the girls played well both individually and as a team, creating a easy win for Stirling. 

3rds Match Report by Leanne Stokes

The Stirling 3rds played Abertay on home turf. A cold start with pass back at 12.30 meant we were playing the first half towards the sun. After a good warm up we started with a strong team, and everyone played and focused well. Abertay put pressure on straight away by scoring a goal within the first few minutes of the game. Stirling’s defence were strong throughout the whole game especially goalie Aurora Gallacher, who made some great saves against the attempts of Abertay. The ball was played up the pitch well by midfield, and attack played well together, with Laura MacLean taking on Abertay defence, however the goal attempts were just wide of post. With Stirling sitting on no goals after half time, we all went back on the pitch fighting. It proved to be a tough and tiring game for the team, each and every player giving their all, with an unfortunate and disappointing final score for Stirling at 4-0 to Abertay.

Stirling Men's 1sts vs Heriot-Watt Men's 1sts

Stirling University Men’s Volleyball team got their season back on track with a resounding 3-0 win over Heriot-Watt 1sts at the Gannochy Centre on Sunday 25^th November. After two consecutive defeats, 3-2 away to RGU and a tough 3-1 loss to an experienced Lenzie side on Saturday, captain Cammy Murrie and Coach Giannos Pannayiotakis were determined to avoid another defeat.

Stirling got off to a quick start in the first set with 4^th year Scott Currie hammering 3 unreturned serves in a row to build an early lead. This was a lead Stirling managed to keep throughout the set and after Lui Shui and Danny Ross came on for Innes Shirreff and Henry Caffarena the set was won 25-23 with Sports Union President watching Chris Purdie watching on.

The second set started well for Stirling and again a comfortable lead was built with strong hitting from James Brown and brilliant blocking from Kostas Ioannidis. After being 7-9 down Stirling University Coach of the Year Giannos Pannayiotakis called a time-out in order to get his team back on track and turn the score around. It worked brilliantly and with the score at 15-10 in Stirling’s favour, Heriot-Watt were forced to call a time-out themselves. However, they could not turn the deficit around and the set was won 25-19 with substitute setter Danny Ross seeing out the final 3 points of the set after replacing 4^th year and club President Innes Shirreff.

Scott Currie again showed his power with 4 quick points from the serve at the start of the 3^rd set to give Stirling the lead. Great passing from Dino Vo and Captain Cammy Murrie allowed Innes Shirreff to dictated the match and play powerful middle hitter Henry Caffarena. Off-setter James Brown followed this up with 6 serves in a row to give Stirling a 16-10 lead. The set was finished off in impressive style as Stirling recorded a 25-20 set win and left them with 2 wins from 2 home matches this semester, without dropping a set.

Stirling: Back Row L to R – Scott Currie, Ross Birss, James Brown, Cammy Murrie (C), Kostas Ioannidis and Giannos Pannayiotakis. Front Row Innes Shirreff, Henry Caffarena, Danny Ross, Dino Vo, Lui Shui.