Student Cup preview (7th and 8th February) - Derby and Southampton ready to compete at top table

Each of the women’s and men’s competitions will be divided into four pools of four, with the best teams advancing to knockout quarter-finals and semi-finals before the winning teams in their respective finals will be crowned overall winners. 

There will also be a third/ fourth place match as well as fifth to eighth play-off games and ninth to 12th position and 13th to 16th position pools, meaning all teams will get plenty of games. 

In addition to the English university and college sides, there will be two additional and more unusual sides entered into each gender category. 

Both will see England U18 sides feature – following their successful qualification through November’s qualifiers – and Irish representation through Dublin City University. 

Looking forward to testing their mettle against the student elite are the University of Derby, who came through qualifiers at Loughborough University by topping Pool I with a 100 per cent record. 

They defeated University of Warwick 2, Loughborough Students 2 and Reading University in straight sets, teeing up a final match showdown against Cambridge University. 

In that, with matches played over two sets, honours ended even, 1-1 in sets, but Derby advanced by the virtue of having collectively accrued more points – 42 compared to 41.  

That success helped in some way to amend on missing out on last year’s finals by a similarly fine margin. 

“For us it’s a huge achievement to make it to the Student Cup Finals,” said middle Sam Williamson. “After a nail-biting finish last year where we lost out by a single point in our head-to-head match against Durham, it’s nice to be on the right side of things and get through this year by winning our pool by a point. 

“We are excited to compete in Norwich against some of the best teams in the country. We’ve been preparing alongside our BUCS fixtures and NVL games, but we’ve had a few players injured so will be bringing a somewhat new squad to the finals. Hopefully the hard work we’ve been putting in will still show. 

“The only team in our pool we’ve played before is Leeds at last year’s qualifiers where we both took a set but we won on points difference. They were a strong side so we are looking forward to a rematch alongside playing the other two teams for the first time, which is always exciting. 

“We don’t look for results, we look for performance. By the end of the tournament, regardless of the outcome, teams will learn to not underestimate Derby.”

Sam says the strength of the Derby side comes from them being a good all-round unit where everyone can be called upon. 

He added: “The team is where our strengths lie. Sam Miller keeps the play alive no matter what. Charlie Bradbury spreads the play and tests the block. 

“Rares Virlan will fly over the block and punish any opposition. Michael and Ben can find any angle given to them. Also, our bench isn’t silent... any player can come on and change the game in our favour.” 

In 2025, it was Brunel University who won the men’s title, beating University College London (UCL) in three sets, while, in the women’s, UCL completed a three-peat of successes by Impercial College London (ICL).  

Given past history, UCL will undoubtedly be the favourites again, but there are plenty of other teams keen to make a lasting impression, not least Student Cup Finals newcomers Southampton University.  

Their achievement of reaching this stage for the first time has not been lost on them but, now they are here, they are keen not just to be making up the numbers. 

In qualifying, at Ashcombe, the South Coast institution got the better of University of Portsmouth, University of Westminster and Solent University, but missed out on top spot to table toppers London School of Economics by a single point. 

However, with a points difference of +62, it was no surprise to see them advance as one of the best-performing second place teams. 

“Since we are the first women’s team in Southampton to compete at Student Cup Finals we are so excited and most definitely looking forward to it!” said outside Maria Agathokli. 

“We can’t wait to put forward our best selves on the court, as well as explore Norwich while meeting new people. 

“We have been training during the week leading oup to the finals, focusing on improving our weaker aspects of the game. Luckily, we have got some players from the men’s team to help us, challenging us and making our players adapt quicker to the speed of the game.” 

From their pool, Southampton have only played one of the other teams previously, but know that they will be facing tough opposition at this stage. 

“We have only played King’s College London once in the past, but we geography dictates we haven’t played East Anglia nor Durham. 

“We recognise that we will face some great teams and players that know the game of volleyball to a high level. However, this won’t stop us from giving our best and fighting every point. 

“Everyone in our team has a significant role and contributes greatly in the way we play the game. We are a competitive team and we always want the highest possible place, so that’s what we will be pushing for.” 

A select number of games from the Student Cup Finals will be live streamed, including the semi-finals and finals, on Volleyball England’s YouTube Channel. 

You can also keep in touch with all the actions via the Volleyball England Instagram, Facebook and TikTok platforms. 

Find out more about results and fixtures across the weekend by clicking here.