At the start of the 2009/10 season, it was decided the teams aim when competing in the 2nd Division after promotion the year before, was to finish in the top 4.  As it turned out, on the last day of the season, whoever won the match between Dundee and Kilmarnock II would end the season being crowned 2nd Division champions.

The match started with the intensity you would expect from a league decider, tough serves from Allan Thomas and Mark Lawson allowed the team to open up a 12-4 lead.  During the next point, disaster struck for Dundee when current Scotland internationalist Niall Collin took a nasty landing from a block and was unable to continue playing the rest of the game.  The Kilmarnock side did not let this affect them however, and consistent passing and hitting allowed them to take the set 25-18.

The second set didn’t start off as well for the Ayrshire side, with a combination of poor passing and hitting leaving the side chasing the game from 9-0 down.  The team realised defence behind the serve was the only thing that was going to win them the second set, so everyone stepped up a gear.  The “nothing touched the floor” attitude was evident as Martin McMullen made some power digs, Gary McGuire was picking up wayward balls coming off the block, topped off by a dash round the post by John Hollis to retrieve the ball keeping it in play.  With Gary McGuire’s power hitting proving very difficult to stop, Kilmarnock came back to win the second set 29-27.

The third set was neck and neck with both teams passing and hitting well, although some strong serving from Dundee at 16-16 was enough for them to open up a 4 point lead.  Even with some strong blocking from Steven Jackson and John Hollis, Kilmarnock couldn’t catch Dundee as they took the set 25-22.

The fourth set started with kill through the middle from Mark Lawson which set the tone for the rest of the set.  With the threat of Jackson and Lawson through the middle being established, this allowed Allan Thomas to utilise his outside hitters with Dundee finding them difficult to stop.  Dundee were having some success through the right side but it wasn’t enough to halt Kilmarnock’s run.  The last point of the set saw a long rally, consisting of a dig from each member of Kilmarnock’s back row, and was ended with a characteristically power hit from Gary McGuire which Dundee’s defence could not control.  The 25-20 score line ensuring the 2nd Division trophy would be coming to Kilmarnock.

The fifth set started slow for Kilmarnock, finding themselves 8-4 down at the side-change.  Though they weren’t going to let the fact they had just won the league stop them from winning the last set, so stepped up a gear with Grant Young distributing the ball well and allowing the hitters to score.  Tough serving brought the team back in the game and they managed to see the set out with a 17-15 win.

The win concludes a highly successful season for the second team.  Being crowned 3rd Division champions last year set a winning standard which we carried through to this season, only losing one league game.  Winning the 2nd Division proves the quality and depth of the squad at the club, which can only mean good things for the future.  The victory was especially sweet for veteran setter Allan Thomas, who has now won every domestic competition competed for within Scottish volleyball.  Congratulations to him, as well as everyone who touched court for the second team this season!

John Hollis