Student Cup review (23rd and 24th Nov) : Final eight winners confirmed

An exciting series of matches means all those automatically progressing to the final - at the University of East Anglia in February - are now confirmed.

At the NVC, Cambridge University 1 made an impressive start to their Student Cup campaign, securing top spot in both the Women’s and Men’s Pool G.

The Women’s team dominated their pool, defeating Oxford University 1, the University of Bath, the University of Westminster, and the University of Warwick 2 in straight sets, earning a maximum eight points.

Oxford finished second in the pool, their only loss coming against the dominant table-toppers with a 2-0 defeat, which kept alive their hopes of reaching Finals Weekend.

The success continued for Cambridge in the Men’s Pool G, where their team emerged as front-runners, showcasing impressive form throughout the weekend and solidifying their status as strong contenders for the finals stage.

Their toughest challenge came against the University of Westminster where, in a closely-contested match, they clinched victory by a 25-19, 28-26 scoreline.

The battle for second place was a close call, with the University of Westminster eventually doing so by securing three wins out of four matches.

However, none of their victories came easily, as all their three matches ended 1-1, with Westminster ultimately prevailing on total points difference.

The University of Bristol followed closely behind, finishing in third place, while Oxford University 2 and the University of the West of England rounded out the standings in fourth and fifth respectively.

Although the University of Bristol Men's team missed out their women’s team triumphed in a intense battle, heading up Pool H table and securing their place in East Anglia.

The top two teams were neck and neck throughout their group qualifiers, with them and the University of Cardiff finishing with three wins and one draw, each earning seven points.

Their showdown ended with a thrilling draw, with Cardiff taking the first set before Bristol fought back strongly. 

With both teams level on points, Bristol’s set difference of +6 compared to +4 proved to be decisive.

Brunel University took third place, followed by the University of the West of England in fourth and Oxford University finishing fifth.

In Men’s Pool H, Brunel University cruised through the competition, clinching victory in all four matches without dropping a set.

After a 2-0 defeat to the table toppers, Oxford University 1 bounced back impressively, winning their remaining three matches to make sure of second place. 

The University of Bath claimed third position with a balanced record of two wins and two losses, while Elliott Hudson College Leeds and the University of Cardiff Men finished in fourth and fifth place.

Men’s Pool I saw University of Warwick 1 emerge as the dominant force with four wins from four, dropping just one set in the process.

The only set they dropped was in their showdown against the University of Essex, which saw both teams take a set. However, Warwick ultimately emerged victorious, winning on total points.

Essex won their other three matches to finish as runners-up, while Anglia Ruskin University, De Montfort University and LSESU Volleyball rounded out the Pool standings in that order.

In the Women's final qualifying pool, Pool I, the University of East Anglia (UEA), who will host the Finals Weekend, demonstrated their determination to represent their university on home turf.

They boasted a 100% record, dropping just a single set throughout the campaign, to secure automatic qualification, earning the chance to compete in the finals and represent their university.

Despite their loss to table-toppers UEA, LSESU Volleyball finished second, securing three successes, including victories over third-placed City of St George’s VC, fourth-placed King’s College London, and fifth-placed University of Essex.

The Men’s Pool J was evenly matched, with three teams each winning two and losing one of their three matches to all finish on four points.

The University of East Anglia led the standings with an impressive point difference of +33, while Coventry University were second with a points difference of +9 and King’s College London followed in third place.

The final qualifying pool of the 2024-25 season, Men’s Pool K, showcased Imperial College London 2’s dominance as they won all three of their matches in straight sets to secure the top spot. 

Despite a loss to Imperial, Queen Mary University claimed second place by winning their remaining two matches, keeping their hopes alive for a spot at Finals Weekend in February.

City of St George’s VC and Aston University rounded out the pool standings.

Images by Jennifer Feng

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You can check out all the results and table standings by clicking here.

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