Scottish Volleyball Plate triumph for Forres Solstice Wolves team
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A Moray volleyball team has tasted glory on the national scene.
The Forres Solstice Wolves team won the Scottish Volleyball Plate in Edinburgh, seeing off rivals from the capital.
Club head coach and chairperson Perry Johnson said: "Forres has to travel more than any other team in the league, with some matches requiring eight hours of travel in a day."
The long journey to the capital held no fears for the Moray club as they lifted the silverware - their first-ever Plate success.
First match was against City of Edinburgh 2 with the first to 21 points in each of the two sets, with aggregate score counting in a tie.
Strong serving by Holly Innes got Forres off to a good start, while Edinburgh started the game with a tipping strategy which Emily Simpson quickly stifled with consistent cover at the net.
"The team showed strong commitment to every ball as they gave their all to every point of the match," said Johnson. "Will Custodio injured their ankle during the first set, leading to an extended time out for treatment. The team rallied behind Will and played for them, picking up and filling in.
"Aimee Horne replaced Will on the court and showed strong assertion to take advantage of every passing and hitting opportunity."
Victory was secured for the Wolves with a 21-17 first set success and a 21-13 win in the second.
Next up was a match against NUVOC Lionesses, who also won their first match and were on a high.
Georgia Browne made some key passes for the team and served strongly and Grace Mackie's passing skills also came to the fore in a close match.
Lucy Fraser stepped up to stop a Lioness serving streak, helping Forres to edge the first set 21-20.
Johnson added: "The second game was very loud, as other teams had finished and the attention gathered around the court."
He said Forres used their strengths with an intimidating presence in the front row. Emi Lake was regularly blocking and Holly Gray chased down balls that would normally be unreachable, as the Wolves triumphed 21-13.
"The last point was an eruption of emotion, as all the effort and struggle of training finally paid off in a big way."
The junior team's final competition takes place in Edinburgh on March 25.
The coach thanked a number of local businesses and organisations for supporting or sponsoring the team's efforts.
