National Cup: Round 1 Preview

After the preliminary round of the National Cup kicked off the season two weeks ago with some great matches, more excitement and fierce competition is expected over the next 48 hours. 

After victory in the men's preliminary round against a resilient London Bears - London Wildcats host Kent Invicta, who claimed their place in the first round draw after beating county rivals Maidstone Rocks. 

A South West derby between Bristol and Exeter Storm is one to watch out for after the latter won their preliminary match 3-0 against Weymouth Waves. 

Bristol are aiming to make it into the second round for consecutive years after reaching that stage last season by beating Cardiff Panthers.

After a strong showing in their first match, Army Men travel to last year’s quarter-finalists Team Sideout. The winner of the match will face last year’s overall Cup winners Malory Eagles UEL.

Whoever wins between Cambridge ARU Men and MK City Men will face the other of last year's finalists - Essex Rebels - who will be hoping to reach the final again. 

In the women’s matches, a big match between local rivals Manchester Marvels Mystics and Manchester Moss Jaguars takes place on Sunday, starting at 12.30pm. 

A Midlands derby between Loughborough Students, who travel just up the M1 to Nottingham Rockets, is set to be a thriller with the visitors returning to the Cup after a year out last year. 

After victory in early September against Tonbridge, SQUAD travels to Richmond, with the winner of the match set to play last year’s Division 1 winners, Coventry and Warwick Riga.  

Another result to look out for is between Manchester Liberators and Sheffield VC with the winner of that cross-Pennines duel being rewarded with a match against last year’s Cup winners, Durham Palatinates.

The full draw for the first round for the men can be viewed here and the women’s fixtures can be found here.

Keep your eyes peeled for highlights of the weekend’s action across Volleyball England’s social channels.