Volleyball alumni heed call of the court from across the globe

Published On Thu 25 Feb 2016 by Grant Hill

Former stars of the University of Dundee’s Volleyball Club will this weekend return to the city from as far afield as Switzerland, Greece, Cyprus, Italy, Denmark and China for a reunion on the court and at the bar.

Almost 100 current and former members of the club will take part in the alumni reunion weekend on Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th February. Former members from the past five decades will rekindle their memories of student sport and meet up with old friends as well as the new crop of volleyball stars.

Activities for the weekend include a recreational tournament and a challenge match between current and former students on Saturday afternoon, and a Ceilidh in the evening. A total of 15 former captains will be returning to Dundee this weekend, including 1995/96 women’s captain Wendy Melville who will be travelling from China for the event.

Paul McPate, Assistant Director of the University’s Institute for Sport and Exercise (ISE), said, “We hold these reunions every three years to celebrate the recent successes of the club and to recognise the strong bonds that existed between former members.

“The Volleyball Club has always provided a welcoming, friendly and supportive environment. This is reflected in the fact that we have former members travelling from throughout Britain and further afield this weekend.

“Lifelong friendships have been formed here and, although there is an age span of 40 years amongst those that will be present, everyone who attends will have the common bond of having been a volleyball club member. Volleyball is a sport which is particularly popular in other European countries and this has always been reflected in the wide variety of nationalities within the club.”

Over the years, players from 65 countries have represented Dundee at volleyball. The University has provided numerous players for Scottish Universities Select Squads for both men and women, and several members have represented their country at international level over the years.

DUVC is one of the University’s most successful sports clubs and currently has a membership of 94, with the men's team sitting second in the top Scottish university league as well as having qualified for the quarter finals of the British University Trophy.

For media enquiries contact:
Grant Hill
Press Officer
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
Tel: +44 (0)1382 384768
Mobile: 07854 953277
Email: g.hill@dundee.ac.uk