Congratulations to our Cadette Volleyball Team who were crowned All Ireland U16 C Volleyball Champions on Tuesday 23rd January.
Our Lady’s Bower All-Ireland-Winning Cadette Volleyball Team (L-R) Niamh Purtill, Emma Hart, Adriana Berruga, Hannah Murray, Poorvika Vimal-Raj, Paula Munoz, Elena Martin, Naoise McCormack, Maria Talabante, Natalia Casado, Tanya Stephane, Ms R Mooney
The team, captained by Hannah Murray and coached by Ms R. Mooney, were accompanied by a bus full of supporters as they made their way to the Kingfisher Arena in the National University of Ireland Galway to take on Assumption Secondary School, Dublin.
The Bower side got into a comfortable stride in the first set of the match, with powerful serves from Hannah Murray resulting in a number of ‘aces’ that put them ahead. 3rd Year student Tanya Stephane was critical to keeping the Bower firmly in the lead throughout the first set, as she ‘set’ a number of high balls to Paul Munoz and Poorvika-Vimal Raj to spike over the net. The first set ended in a score of 25-13 to Our Lady’s Bower.
Hannah Murray was awarded the Most Valuable Player Award in the Volleyball All-Ireland Final.
The second set proved more challenging, with Assumption Secondary School making a feisty comeback. Some super defensive skills were demonstrated by Poorvika Vimal Raj and Maria Talabante to receive some strong Assumption serves. 3rd Year student Niamh Purtill proved to be a valuable substitution in the second half of the second set, scoring a number of powerful spikes. The Bower side maintained composure finish off the second set with a 25-19 victory. Final score 2-0 in favour of Our Lady’s Bower.
Special congratulations to captain Hannah Murray, who was awarded the MVP (Most Valuable Player) Award.
The team enjoyed a congratulatory procession on Wednesday 24th January. The entire school community gathered in the corridors to congratulate the team as they paraded their All-Ireland medals and shield through the school.
Captain Hannah Murray raises the shield with her Our Lady’s Bower teammates.
Our Lady’s Bower Cadette Volleyball Team celebrating their All-Ireland victory