Super League Review - October 26th and 27th

Durham men also added a second win to their campaign in a dramatic five-set thriller against the University of Nottingham.

The Giants opened the weekend with a 3-0 win over Stockport, although Stockport put up a fierce fight, taking the second set to a nail-biting tiebreak. Ultimately, the Giants' strength showed, finishing the match 25-12, 27-25, 25-21.

Following this, the Giants faced last season’s runners-up, IBB Polonia, in an all-London showdown. Polonia, eager to recover from their season-opening loss to Essex Rebels, came out strong. They pushed the Giants to the limit, with a first set that ended in a close 27-25. 

But the Giants’ momentum carried them through, and they secured the match with 25-19 and 25-11 set scores.

Lovepreet Sandhu earned MVP honours in both matches, delivering 13 kills, 11 aces and 1 block across the weekend.

Essex Rebels, still undefeated, showed their dominance with a 3-0 win over Richmond Docklands (25-19, 25-19, 25-21). New signing Jacob Kern was named MVP for the Rebels, while Joao Alves received MVP for Richmond. Kern registered 9 kills, linking up seamlessly with his brother Cameron, who tallied 31 assists to help maintain Essex's perfect record. 

They will aim to keep the streak going when they host London Giants in two weeks.

Nottingham managed to secure one point in a thrilling match against Durham. They took the first set 25-14 but saw Durham bounce back to take the next two (25-17, 25-19). 

Nottingham levelled the match in the fourth set, only for Durham to narrowly clinch the fifth 15-13, leaving them with five points from a possible nine. Nottingham’s Sam Peters and Griffin Walters each scored 14 kills, with Peters adding five blocks. 

New Durham player Chey Cooper led all scorers with a remarkable 20 kills.

 

In the MAAREE women’s Super League action, the University of Nottingham took on Durham in the second part of their doubleheader, while Wessex travelled to London to face National Cup winners, Team SideOut Polonia. 

Leeds Gorse also aimed to bounce back from their Opening Weekend loss to Essex Rebels, facing Cambridge after Cambridge’s own loss to Malory Eagles last weekend.

Nottingham showed resilience against Super League and BUCS Champions, as well as National Cup runners-up, Durham. 

They secured a tight first set 25-23 but fell in the second, 25-22. Nottingham then leveraged home support, taking the third and fourth sets 25-21, 25-18 to claim their first-ever home victory over Durham in the NVL. 

Nottingham now sit two points behind Essex Rebels and four behind league leaders Malory, who have a perfect record on nine points.

 

Leeds Gorse secured their first win of the season, 3-1, against Cambridge. Last year’s MVP Eva Borrowdale earned another MVP accolade with 14 kills and two blocks, leading her team to a victory that they hope will build momentum ahead of their upcoming match against Lionhearts Vinarius next weekend.

Cambridge, despite a promising start, couldn’t replicate their Opening Weekend success, and they now look to bounce back against Team SideOut Polonia on Saturday.

Polonia, meanwhile, continued their unbeaten run with a 3-0 win over Wessex (25-21, 25-9, 25-12). Their performance highlighted their ambition for the Super League title, dominating Wessex showing the strength of their lineup as they look ahead to hosting Cambridge on Saturday. 

Next weekend will be a busy weekend of action with Super League and National Cup and Shield action scheduled keep up to date with all the action across our social media channels Facecebook, Instagram, TikTok and X.