This past Halloween weekend, UL Arena was the showplace for three days filled with volleyball and sporting excitement. UL’s very own volleyball club hosted the annual Volleyball Intervarsities of the 2025/26 season.
Over the course of the weekend, 12 women’s and 14 men’s teams from all over Ireland converged on the campus. They battled match after match to determine the top third-level teams in one of the most competitive events this season.
With a newly set-up team, the UL women showed off their exceptional skills in the first two days. Yet, they eventually had to accept defeat against UCC on Sunday in the quarter-finals.
After initial struggles and two losses on Friday, the UL men’s team made a strong comeback. They won all their games on Saturday and made it to the semi-finals on Sunday.
UL Wolves displayed their strength and received loud support from the stands. However, they lost 1:2 to the dominating DCU in a best-of-three semi-final. Despite the loss, UL Volleyball Club president Jacob Newman said they were “very proud” to have played as well as they did, especially considering the new constellation of team members.
While Maynooth University dominated SETU Carlow in the men’s shield final and UCD triumphed over RCSI Dublin in the women’s shield, the cup finals began on Sunday evening with four Dublin teams testing their strengths.
After many hard-fought rallies, Trinity College Dublin defeated DCU in the women’s final, claiming the title of Women’s Intervarsity Champions, winning 2:0. Late into the evening, the men of DCU and Trinity College Dublin faced off for the men’s cup. DCU ultimately took home the victory after two intense sets in a best-of-three match.
Video: Volleyball Ireland
“The significance of hosting this competition to us was great, as we were only founded as a club in 2022”, Newman summarised. He pointed out that “many teams commented on the amazing facilities here at UL Sport Arena and how it suited the tournament“.
Regarding the rest of the season, Newman says both teams will strive to show off their skills in the league.
Looking ahead, UL Volleyball Wolves not only have their eyes on league victories, but are also hoping to find a sponsor soon. This is in order to continue to grow as a club. It will provide even more opportunities for players and “push forward through this year with some extra support“, Newman said.