Volleyball: Sides are knocked out of Scottish Cup

Dec 18 2008 by Margaret Shaw, Hamilton Advertiser

BOTH North Lanarkshire volleyball teams were in action at the weekend in the fourth round of the Scottish Cup.

The ladies were up against first division rivals Rucanor Jets in what eventually turned out to be a closely-fought match.

They started slowly and lost the first set 25-11.

What looked like an easy game for Jets then turned into a real fight, with NLVC coming back strongly in the second set.

Some excellent hitting from Gillian Watson saw the Lanarkshire side take the set 25-23.

The ladies then let the momentum slip and lost the third set 25-15. They rallied again in the fourth set to take Jets all the way before going down 26-24.

Although the game was lost, the ladies can take pride in their ability to come back twice in the match before losing narrowly.

Special mention must go to Gillian Watson, whose hitting brought the team back into the match on numerous occasions.

Second Division men’s team Bellshill were up against it on Saturday against First Division opposition City of Edinburgh.

Although the men put up a strong fight, the First Division outfit were just too strong, finishing winners 3-0.

The first set was closely-fought, with both teams working exceptionally hard for every point.

The battle was eventually won by Edinburgh 25-23. The second set wasn’t as close but still hard-fought, with scores coming out at 25-19.

The third set was more of the same, with Bellshill trying everything to get past their first division opponents. The final score was 25-21.

The men can be proud of holding their own against First Division opposition.