Club Captain
Davide Bernardi
Computer Science Conv. Masters
Perhaps the most enthusiastic man in the club, it is our great pleasure to introduce Davide as this year’s Club Captain. No one has worked harder this summer to ensure a smooth year ahead (trust us, he never stops messaging about a new volleyball related idea) and his Italian roots allow him to communicate his passion with expertly crafted gestures. Davide is a perfect being molded into a human body, with his only flaw being his ability to get too hyped up during games.
It is Davide's job this year to oversee the entire running of the club and you'll never not catch him talking about the volleyball club. He is a master of delegation, so if you want to know something, he should be able to point you in the right direction.
Vice Club Captain
Anita Nonev
4th year Civil Engineer
This year’s Vice Club Captain is the charming Anita. She has masterfully combined the loudness of an angry Bulgarian with the loudness of an angry Londoner and can handle herself both on and off the court (seriously, don’t try and mess with her on either). She recently learnt to drive over summer and is looking to use her newfound skills to steer the club to success this year.
It is her job to make sure that Davide has help with everything he requires and to make sure that he doesn't get too over-excited about anything. If he doesn't know something, she should.
Men's A Captain
Daniel Nickalls
3rd year Engineer
This year, the Men’s A team will be heralded by Dan. Dan firmly believes in leading by example, and so has taken it upon himself to be the only person of a respectable height for a volleyball player in the committee. Hopefully his new role will see him spending more time and effort with the A team of the same gender this year. Perhaps he may even be convinced to attend a social or two. We shall see.
Dan is responsible for anything and everything Men's As, and should be the first point of contact for those in that squad if they have any questions to do with day to day running of the team.
Women's A Captain
Marina Rodriguez
3rd year Economics
The Women’s first captain this year will be our very own Marina. The undisputed greatest dancer in the club, it is possible to compliment Marina’s moves on nights out in a completely non-sarcastic way, which is a unique trait in the volleyball club. Her elegance on the dance floor transfers into her fierce middle play. She is determined to singlehandedly salsa her team to greatness this year.
Marina is responsible for anything and everything Women's As, and should be the first point of contact for those in that squad if they have any questions to do with day to day running of the team.
Men's B Captain
Man Fai
3rd year Veterinary
Whilst you may be tempted to mistake him for a Lord Farquaard lookalike convention attendee, Man Fai is actually our Mens Bs’ captain this year! Thankfully, his volleyball skills are far superior to his ability to look like a certain main antagonist from the best film to be released in 2001 (and yes, that is the same year that the first Harry Potter film was released). His small stature may be deceiving, but he heavily over-compensates for it with a huge personality, and while he dreams of one day being able to touch the bottom of the net, he is certain to drive his team on to new heights.
Man Fai is responsible for anything and everything Men's Bs, and should be the first point of contact for those in that squad if they have any questions to do with day to day running of the team.
Women's B Captain
Alex Steadman
2nd year Maths
This year the Women’s Bs will be captained by Alex. Hoping to shake off the label of token fresher, Alex will be heading into the year already keen for the first social so she can prove how much she has matured. Alex is the original ‘girl from da swamp’, and it is as of yet undecided whether her new team are set to drain the swamp, or can be convinced to move in Shrek style (yes this is the second Shrek reference I have made already get used to it). Watch this space to find out.
Alex is responsible for anything and everything Women's Bs, and should be the first point of contact for those in that squad if they have any questions to do with day to day running of the team.
Men's C Captain
Patrick Smith
2nd year Geography
This year, Patrick is the captain of the… what team? *checks notes* Ah yes, C TEAM! Having spent the last year trying to annoy his previous captain, Patrick is now stepping up to take reigns and experience the difficulties of irritating subordinates. He is well known for once running a long distance with a crate of liquid, and his new team are hoping that he won’t work this in to the fitness sessions this year.
Patrick is responsible for anything and everything Men's Cs, and should be the first point of contact for those in that squad if they have any questions to do with day to day running of the team.
Secretary
Luuk Boorsma
MSc Climate Change Science and Policy
Our secretary this year is none other than the mysterious Luuk. Whilst he tries his best to adhere to the geography student stereotype of lacking a personality, closer inspection reveals a very sharp sense of humour hidden under the boring façade if you can strain your ears enough to hear him. Luuk’s vocalisation on court, however, is not an issue, and woe be unto you who stands too close to him when a ball comes in his direction. If your ears aren’t left ringing from the resounding ‘MINE’, your face might be from an errant hit, so watch out.
Luuk deals with a large amount of the external organisation necessary to register and maintain the club within the leagues and tournaments we play in. It is not a glorious job and not one that gains him much recognition. So, if you've read this far down the page, you seem to be fairly committed to the club and should therefore send Luuk a message of thanks, as its due to his work that we get to play competitive games.
Social Sec
Greta Lowe
2nd year International Business Management
Our second social secretary this year is Greta, who is the love child of Emmanuel Macron and beans on toast. As a shining member of the Dev squad, Greta is truly a woman of the people. Especially if those people love to party on Wednesdays and not waking up on Thursday mornings. While some Gretas in the world are inspiring the youth to combat climate change, our Greta is inspiring students in different ways. But every Wednesday we will follow her with the same reverence as she quests to fill our lives with fun challenges, amusing themes, ridiculous costumes and a year full of incredible memories.
Greta is jointly responsible for organising all of our club's incredible social events, from weekly Wednesday night socials to the big formals. Greta is always open to answering any questions you may have about her wild theme ideas.
Social Sec
Diksha (Dee) Kundlani
MSc Managment (Marketing)
The first of our two social secretaries this year is Dee. Her love for dressing up as a minion has concerned many of her peers in the past, but she has finally found a role in which she can mould her unhealthy obsession into a perk of the job. For socials this year, if you want to remain on Dee’s level, be prepared to dress up most Wednesdays. You may even discover that she finds an excuse to dress up when her socials don’t even require it, so get those costume crafting skills ready.
Dee is jointly responsible for organising all of our club's incredible social events, from weekly Wednesday night socials to the big formals. Dee is always open to answering any questions you may have about her wild theme ideas.
Treasurer
Ari Biggart
4th year Design Engineer
As our treasurer this year, we would like to introduce Ari! With a heart as big as his ears, you can find Ari bouncing around with a smile on his face at any time of the day. He brings the same energy to the volleyball court as he does to the dance floor, and while his dance moves can be something to behold, its often more worth watching him dismount from a bus for his signature body (knee) ‘popping’. Be warned however – he has recently crammed a gap yar into his summer vacation and has finally found himself, so don’t let him corner you otherwise you’ll be trapped for the whole night.
Ari is responsible for ensuring that the club remains financially viable and that all our money doesn't suddenly disappear overnight.
Student Equalities Officer
Elliot Francis-Hewett
3rd year Maths
This year’s position of Equalities Officer is proudly held by Elliot. Elliot is famed for his incredible drive to chase, jump or dive after any ball, whether it is in, out or on the other team’s side. More often than not, he is successful in these ventures, and his passion for Estelle and Britney only makes everything he does cooler. Elliot is sure to apply his inclusive attitude of picking up any and every ball to the people of this club, making him the perfect candidate as our Equalities Officer.
Elliot is responsible for ensuring that everyone in the club feels fairly treated, valued and represented. We are proud to be an open, inclusive and diverse club and aim to maintain this high standard. If you have any queries, suggestions or complaints of this kind, Elliot is the man to speak to.
PR and Communications
Mikey Cullinane
4th year Mechanical Engineer
This year, dutifully running the club’s social media and website as PR & Comms is Mikey. Does that mean he is writing his own post about himself? Absolutely. Prepare for the most one-sided, egotistical character review ever to exist. Mikey is an international man of mystery, who has been intriguingly absent from the club for the past year. But he is back, and ready to humbly sacrifice his time and decent grades in his final year in service to producing the greatest spurge of creative UoB volleyball content known to man. Get ready for your weekly emails and prepare your asses, for when Monday rolls around he will blow your mind.
Mikey is responsible for communicating decisions from the committee to the club, as well as generally hyping us up on social media and website, and firing off a weekly email to your inbox on Monday mornings (make sure you are on our contact list so you don't miss out). There's no real reason you would need to contact him, but he's super friendly and always happy to chat (and not in any way desperate to make new friends) so feel free to shoot him a message.
