The Student Cup is the biggest university volleyball competition in England and is always a fiercely contested event with the pride of the Universities at stake. Teams from around the country battle it out in a bid to confirm their status as the top University volleyball team in England.
This years Student Cup qualifiers are now a third of the way through, with a number of qualifying spots already decided. The top 16 men’s and 16 women’s teams from all qualifying rounds will compete at the Student Cup Finals on the 9th and 10th February 2013 at University of East Anglia, SportPark.
The first of the qualifying rounds took place at the University of Leeds early in November. The weekend played host to high quality volleyball action and featured some of the National Volleyball Leagues (NVL) top players. Both Durham and Northumbria University men and women proved unbeatable in their respective groups, earning them automatic qualification into the finals.
During the same weekend the Southern Universities qualifying event took place at Ashcombe Volleyball Centre. In the men’s competition it was LeAF and Kings College who dominated their respective groups going through to the finals having not dropped a set.
In the women’s competition it was University College London who came out on top after a tough deciding set against Bournemouth University. Middlesex University also put on an impressive display to secure their place in the finals, sailing through their group undefeated.
The third qualifying weekend took place at the National Volleyball Centre, Kettering last weekend. On Saturday, both Leicester men and women went through as winners of their respective pools with the men winning three of their four matches in deciding sets. Warwick men and Oxford Women A were the other two qualifiers from day one.
On day two, Loughborough Students men and women’s teams were the first to safely navigate their group matches, both picking up maximum points along the way. York women and Exeter men will also join them in the finals.
The final qualifying rounds are to be held at the National Volleyball Centre, in Kettering on the 1st December 2012.
Full results from all qualifying rounds can be found online here.
