Iceland are the 2023 SCA women’s champions

It was a real fight for the SCA Women’s Championship crown when on Sunday Iceland took on the reigning champions from Scotland in delivering a thrilling five-set match. It was clear from the start that this was going to be as close a match as the game from the pool stage where Scotland had beaten Iceland 3-2. There were highs and lows for both teams, but Iceland showed more resilience especially in the first set where they managed to come back from 17-23 and to score eight points in a row, showing real character and eventually crowning themselves SCA champions following a 3-2 victory (25-23, 12-25, 25-14, 23-25, 15-12).

Scotland set the tone in the first set by taking the lead from the start, forcing Iceland for a time-out, 10-5. The Scottish team had good attacks from position 4 and a strong block that worked well, forcing Iceland to take their second time-out in the match when trailing 15-9. Iceland scored three points in a row and Scotland took a time-out of their own. It seemed to work, Scotland got into a comfortable position with the score moving to 23-17 and it looked like the set was over for Iceland. However, the challengers showed much resilience by scoring eight points in a row and winning the set 25-23. It was like a cold shower for the Scottish team.

Scotland answered with a strong start to the second set, leading 7-4 and never looking back, winning it at a canter (25-12). Everything worked perfectly, their players were taking the dive for the saves and the team managed to counterattack when needed while Iceland had a hard time getting their key spikers to deliver the attack efficiently besides making several technical errors.

In the third set, Iceland took the lead 11-3 but Scotland scored five points in a row forcing their opponents to a time-out. Iceland regrouped and sailed to a set win after having improved their performance from the previous stanza (25-14).

In the fourth set, it was a fight for every point, but Scotland took the lead 17-14 and 21-16. Iceland came close (23-22), but the Scottish team managed to secure a tiebreak with a 25-23 win. Iceland started better but Scotland managed to level 3-3, then the Icelandic squad took over the match in every sense, their strong serve and good attack combinations eventually paving the way to the SCA title.

Earlier in the afternoon, hosts Luxembourg took on Malta in the bronze medal match, winning in three straight sets, 25-17, 25-23, 25-22. The Maltese girls did a fantastic job in the tournament, and it is obvious that the team is likely to develop to a higher level. For Luxembourg, the bronze medal was in some way a disappointment but also a sign that their main competitors have improved their performance in the last few years.

Final standing

1. Iceland
2. Scotland
3. Luxembourg
4. Malta
5. Ireland
6. Northern Ireland

Dream Team

MVP: Thelma Dögg Grétarsdóttir (ISL)
Setter: Julie Teso (LUX)
Opposite Hitter: Thelma Dögg Grétarsdóttir (ISL)
Outside Spiker: Carla Mulli (LUX)
Outside Spiker: Tinna Rut Þórarinsdóttir (ISL)
Middle Blocker: Mhairi Agnew (SCO)
Middle Blocker: Valdís Unnur Einarsdóttir (ISL)
Libero: Laura McReady (SCO)

Full matches are available on the brand-new YouTube channel established by the Small Countries Association.