Fleyr and ÍF crowned Faroese national champions

Fleyr and ÍF are the 2018 Faroese national Volleyball champions for women and men, respectively. Fleyr were again the dominant force in the women’s final completing a clean sweep of the domestic competitions they contested this season – dropping only one match along the way. ÍF, on the other hand, had to work much harder to secure their eleventh national league title – and their seventh since 2007 – to make amends for the loss they had suffered in the national cup final earlier this year.

Women’s finals
Fleyr vs. KÍF 3-0 (25-17, 25-12, 25-11)
Fleyr vs. KÍF 3-0 (25-20, 25-23, 25-11)

The women of Fleyr Tórshavn left no doubt as to which team was the best of the season with emphatic straight-sets victories in the two-match championship series against KÍF Kollafjørður on Thursday and Saturday. Having lost just one match throughout the entire season, and having secured the national cup trophy earlier in the year, Fleyr were huge favourites to win the league as well.

Fleyr were ruthless in the first final on Thursday, winning 25-17, 25-12 and 25-11, which prompted KÍF coach to promise a completely different match in the second final on Saturday. “I hope that, and I expect that too, and I also promise it,” Ragnar í Haraldsstovu said.

It was better but only marginally, as Fleyr put on another forceful performance to brush aside their opponents. Having lost the first set 20-25, KÍF had their best period of the finals in the second set, but at 16-all, Fleyr managed to get two points ahead and finally won the set 25-23.

After this, it looked like KÍF had given up their hope of any comeback while Fleyr strolled to a compelling 25-11 victory in the third set to win 3-0 and thereby claim the national championship title.

Men’s finals
ÍF vs. Mjølnir 3-2 (25-20, 25-18, 20-25, 20-25, 15-12)
ÍF vs. Mjølnir 3-1 (25-19, 22-25, 25-22, 25-12)

ÍF Fuglafjørður beat Mjølnir Klaksvík to win their eleventh league title as they proved that they truly were the best team this season.

The ÍF-team had been bitterly disappointed earlier in the year when they lost the national cup final to SÍ Sørvágur, and were eager to make amends in the league final against Mjølnir.

They had to fight for it, especially in the first final on Thursday where they just managed to scrape through in the five-setter, where Mjølnir came back from two sets down to force the tiebreaker. However, a disastrous start to the decider, where ÍF took a 9-0 lead wrecked all the hard work, and although Mjølnir came back strong again in the tiebreak, it was too late as ÍF eventually won 15-12.

Mjølnir still ‘only’ needed to win the re-match on Saturday to set up a winner-takes-it-all golden set, and that did not look unlikely when they won the second set 25-22 after ÍF had taken the opener 25-19.

A five-point lead for Mjølnir early on in the third set also looked promising, but at 22-all ÍF won three points in a row to take the set 25-22.

In the fourth set, ÍF left no doubt as to who was the better team as they ran away with the set, winning it as much as 25-12 to secure their eleventh national title to draw equal with Fleyr as the most successful teams in the Faroese top division. While Fleyr have not won a title since 2006, this was ÍF’s seventh crown since 2007.