New University Sitting Volleyball Tournament set for first serve

The Sitting Volleyball Grand Prix is a staple part of the domestic volleyball calendar in England, but there has never previously been a tournament for student competitors. 

All that is set to change when Loughborough University, the University of Nottingham, the University of Essex and hosts the University of East London (UEL) come together at UEL SportsDock (E16 2RD) to do battle. 

The tournament will start at 10am and be completed by 4pm with each of the teams playing each other in a round-robin format over the best of three set games that are timed to 25 minutes or the first to 25 points, with deciding sets, if needed, the first to 15 points. 

Each win will earn 10 points and after the group matches round robin matches, the teams in third and fourth, and second and first, will play-off with no time limits to decide final rankings. 

Teams can be of mixed gender and all players will either study or work for the university side they are part of.

“It is great to see the first tournament involving universities, showing the growth of sitting volleyball in higher education,” said John Worrall, Volleyball England’s Project Lead for Sitting Volleyball. 

“Through the Volleyball England HEVO programme, we have 12 universities playing or running sitting volleyball sessions, which is growing all the time. We have also been in contact with BUCS to look at trying to bring it into their sports programme. 

“The advent of this tournament can only help grow sitting volleyball in England, with the hope that university teams will develop and enter other sitting volleyball tournaments in the future.” 

Find out more about playing sitting volleyball by clicking here.