National Cup Round 2 Review

Last year’s women’s National Cup winners Durham Palatinates were able to get a flying start before facing Cambridge ARU next week at the Super League Opening Weekend.  

The North east team travelled south to face a Sheffield side who had reached round two with victory over Manchester Liberators.   

Durham showcased all the skills, which allowed them to not only win the cup but also the Super League last season, in cruising to a 3-0 victory (25-16, 25-12, 25-15). 

Last year’s runners-up on the women’s side Team SideOut also eased into the third round with a degree of comfort as they were winners over Wimbledon Wildkats in three sets (25-10, 25-10, 25-8). 

The London Club will now look forward to their Super League Opening Weekend clash with Leeds Gorse (the two clubs will be fourth on next Sunday’s running order), who warmed up for that match with their own straight sets cup success. 

The West Yorkshire club halted the progress of Urmston Grammar School, defeating them 25-11, 25-9, 25-7, and will now meet fellow Super League outfit the University of Nottingham in the third round, where a quarter-final place will be at stake.    

Durham’s Opening Weekend opponents, Cambridge ARU, will take on Miners Doncaster Ladies in the third round after the Division Three North side overcame Manchester Marvels Mystics in straight sets (25-16, 25-17, 25-22). 

University of Nottingham Women, who face Essex Rebels next week in Kettering at the Opening weekend, travelled to Hull Thunder.

Last year’s quarter-finalists were too strong for their game Yorkshire hosts, dropping only 25 points over the three sets (25-2, 25-6 25-17). 

Essex Rebels also got their season off to a perfect start with a victory over MK City, victors over Tendring in the previous round, with the latter now going forward to play in the National Shield.  

In the men’s competition, last season’s cup winners Malory Eagles got their season off to a strong start with a 3-0 victory over Team SideOut. 

The London side showed why they were Super League runners-up in addition to their cup triumph by registering a straight sets (25-14, 25-16, 25-19) success. 

Their 2023 cup final opponents, Essex Rebels, faced a strong Cambridge side who fought hard, with all three sets being a close call. 

The Rebels eventually secured a keenly-contested 25-23, 25-22, 25-23 win and means they they will now face Sheffield VC in the third round. 

The South Yorkshire side set up that tie after an away victory against Lincoln Cannons.  

The match started fast, with the first set going to a tie-break, which the away side took before closing out the following two sets for a 26-24, 25-15, 25-15 victory. 

Reading Aces hosted Black Country Men 2, who had made it through to the second round after a strong showing in the first round against Tamworth Spartans.  

This match was simply sensational! Reading took the first set narrowly 25-23 before Black Country fought back to take the second set to a tie-break and winning it 26-24.  

The West Midlands carried this momentum into the third set taking it 25-23, but Reading were not down and out and squared the match at 2-2 with a 25-18 triumph. 

The final set could have gone either way, but it was the Berkshire side who prevailed by a slender 15-13 margin to book a date with Super League side Richmond. A full match report written by Reading can be viewed here.

The Londoners - winners of the cup in 2022 - secured their own progress with a clinical 3-0 straight sets victory over Exeter Storm, who had already beaten Weymouth and then beating Bristol VC to make it this far. 

Full results of the National Cup can be viewed here. 

Watch the Super League teams in person at next weekend’s Opening Weekend at the National Volleyball Centre in Kettering. Tickets for both the Men’s and Women’s fixtures can be purchased here. 

Photos courtesy of @m5films