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BU’s Men’s Volleyball team has been crowned champions of the Volleyball England Student Cup.

The BU Varsity First team gained the trophy after winning in straight sets in the final against local team Wessex LeAF.

Dan Hunter, BSc (Hons) Software Engineering student and captain of the BU volleyball team, said: “It was a great feeling as I had never won this but also great as it’s the first time for the University as well.

“The win is a reward for all the hours SportBU have dedicated to all the volleyball people in recent years and it’s great to say we are national champions.”

The Student Cup saw 32 of the top University and College teams from across the country battle it out for the title over two days of competition in Norwich.

The BU Men’s Varsity Team reached the final without dropping a single set to their opponents in any of their matches.

It was a case of third time lucky for the team, who have been runners up in the competition for the past two years.

Dan, who competed in the London 2012 Olympics as part of the Great Britain Men’s Volleyball team, added: “It was a great tournament for the BU Men who have been training together at the University and with the local club Wessex. After last year’s loss in the final we were motivated to go all the way this year.”

Ian Wood, Duty Manager: Health and Fitness Services for sportBU and current BU Master’s student, also played in the winning team.

“It was a great feeling to win, especially against local rivals in an explosive game,” said Ian, who is completing an MSc in Sports Management.

“We’re lucky enough to have a strong team at the moment including Olympians, GB athletes and Super 8 [Volleyball England’s top division in the National League] players due to the overall strength of volleyball as a sport in the South.

“It is now becoming one of the top places for talented players to come and play alongside study and work.”

He added: “The infrastructure provided by the University and their links with the local national league teams – including Wessex LeAF BU and Solent Volleyball Club – allows the players to train and compete regularly together at a high level, which has really benefitted the university team.”

Andrea Ivanov from the BU Men’s First team won the competition’s award for Most Valuable Player.

The BU Women’s Volleyball team also competed in the Student Cup competition, coming 9^th in the women’s tournament, while the BU Men’s Second team were placed 15^th.

Find out more about the Volleyball England Student Cup