13 Oct 2023
Opening Weekend: MAAREE Women's Super League Club-by-club preview
All teams will play take to the court in Northamptonshire on Sunday in what promises to be an explosive start to the top-flight 2023-24 season.
Volleyball England would like to thank all clubs for their input in compiling this information.
Tickets for the two Opening Weekend days are now available by clicking here.
Click here for the spectator guide.
Click here for Super League Opening Weekend live streams.
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Cambridge Volleyball Club
Home venue: North Cambridge Academy.
Head coach: Jean Jacquet.
Team captain: Juliana Pallamin.
Players in: Mallory Porcher (North Carolina A&T State University), Marika Mennegazzo (Colombo Volley).
Players out: Karolien Vleugels (Zuidrand Meisjes).
One to watch: Juliana Pallamin. An incredibly versatile and skilled athlete. She can play outside, opposite, middle, libero and may even set for us this season!
View from the coach: "Having finished sixth then fifth the last two seasons, a top four finish has to be our aim."
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Coventry and Warwick Riga
Home venue: Alan Higgs Centre, Coventry.
Head coach: Jon Chetham.
Team captain: Sophie Zillmann.
Players in: Karolina Krzepton (Leicester Athena), Michelle Magdales (Leicester Athena), Ekin Ozerciyes (Bristol), Adriana Todorova (Oxford Eagles).
Players out: Adriana Lopez Gonzalez.
One to watch: Amelia Turner. She is a super athlete and a really positive spirit on and off court.
View from the coach: “It is around 12 years since Riga women were in the top-flight of English volleyball, so we are immensely proud to have brought this status back to the club and the city.
“As newcomers to the Super League, we realise we will have to learn quickly, but we will approach every match determined that we have the players, and a plan, to win. If we are here again in 12 months’ time, better and stronger, I will be very happy.”
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Darkstar Derbyshire
Home venue: Kedleston Road Campus, University of Derby.
Head coach: Maria Bertelli.
Team captain: Viktoriya Glazewska.
Players in: None.
Players out: None.
One to watch: Hajar el Alouani. The youngest player on the team is a very strong outside.
View from the coach: “Our hope is to bond more as a team, enjoy playing and celebrating each other’s and our own successes. Let’s push to end up in the top half of the table this season.”
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Durham Palatinates Women
Home venue: Maiden Castle.
Head coach: Paul Welsh.
Team captain: Alice Brand.
Players in: As a university side we have a high turnaround of players each year, with only two players returning. It’s always great to have new players bringing new ideas and styles of play to the team.
Players out: Most of the players have left, notably captain Sofia Nicholson. Having completed her studies at Durham, I’m pleased to see Sofia will be continuing playing after us, having found a club in Spain. We look forward to seeing how she gets on this season.
One to watch: We can’t feature one player as a stand out. This is a team sport and each squad member will play a vital role in the success we have this year. All I know is we’ll play exciting volleyball that will be fun to watch.
View from the coach: "We’re very excited to see what the group of players we have this season can produce. We’ve started well In the cup and our BUCS competitions and look forward to transferring this into our league form. The league looks strong this season and hopefully we can have some good battles throughout the year."
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Essex Rebels Women
Home venue: Essex Sport Arena.
Head coach: Alex Chinery.
Team captain: Kathryn Attar.
Players in: Kathryn Attar (Yale University), Ellen Floyd (University of Alaska Anchorage), Madoka Weldon (Siena College), Brianne Carmody (Juniata Eagles), Tara King (Wessex VC).
Players out: Ariadnne Sierra, Molly Van Essen, Charlotte Bontems (transitioning to coaching role with Rebels), Kiannah Titus, Sterling Williamson, Felicity Chambers, Sarah Edwards (Leicester Athena), Remi Knight.
One to watch: Ellen Floyd. As Alaska Anchorage's record setting setter, she makes the switch to Essex as one of two trailblazing professional athletes on the Rebels roster. The former AVCA Northwest Region All-American ended her time with the Seawolves as their leader in both assists and aces, and has a delicate touch and supreme command of the offence. A nasty serve and a near endless bag of tricks make her one of the must-watch players in the league this year.
View from the coach: “After a great fourth placed finish last season in our first as Essex Rebels, we are hoping to kick on to an even higher finish.
"Whilst it will be tough to replace the talent that has moved on, we have made five high quality new additions to the team. Expect progression both on the court and off it as the club continues to push the boundaries of what can be achieved by the sport in this country.
"Our fantastic matchday experience will see improvements this year and the introduction of professional athletes to our squads can only enhance us as a team.”
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Leeds Gorse Volleyball Club
Home venue: The Ruth Gorse Academy.
Head coach: Elaine Brown.
Team captain: Alessia Garnero.
Players in: Eva Borrowdale (Sheffield), Molly Ann Van Essen (Essex Rebels), Virag Farkas (former Leeds).
Players out: Luisa Bronzini (Cambridge ARU), Aleks Olejniczak (Stockport).
Ones to watch: Eva Borrowdale. We could not be more excited to welcome Eva to Leeds as she brings great energy, a positive mindset, years of experience working with top England coaches and experience competing in the NCAA Div 1 at The University of Alabama. She is a fantastic role model for our juniors, brings a wealth of knowledge of the sport and is a fierce competitor on court. Daniella Tchandeu is a player on the rise. She has poured her heart and soul into volleyball since starting to play a few short years ago and has already competed on the U17s England Cadet team at NEVZA and European Championship Qualifiers. With her mindset, drive and determination, we can't wait to see where volleyball takes her.
View from the coach: “With most players returning from last season, and a few rockstar newcomers, this is by far one of the most talented teams we have ever had at Leeds Gorse.
“It's an honour to work with this group of strong women and it's fantastic to see our more experienced players working with the younger upcoming generation of players to pass on their knowledge. I hope the team continues to work together, support each other and properly enjoy playing the sport they love.”
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London Lionhearts
Home venue: Mulberry Academy, Shoreditch.
Head coach: Davide Tiberti.
Team captain: Gloria Francalanci.
Players in: Gabriella Nóbrega Grissi Cardoso (Inter Crocs), Alison Youlten (Sweden/Australia), Diane Ewane (France/USA), Yuchin Lai (Taiwan).
Players out: Margherita Neri (Belgium), Paola Bersi (Maternity leave).
One to watch: Margaret Steward. Our diamond, our rock, Maggie.
View from the coach: “Last year’s promotion to the Super League was an incredible achievement for the club. This group of players worked all the way up from the lowest to the highest league in just four years and they are ready for this new challenge.
“Our aim is to remain in the Super League. It won’t be easy, we will face the best teams in the country, but we will fight on every ball and give our best shot to win as many sets and matches as possible. Our secret? Our bond.”
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Malory Eagles UEL
Home venue: Ernest Bevin College.
Head coach: Jefferson Williams.
Team captain: Sophie Szyszko.
Players in: Maddie Buist (Middle), Ariadne Sierra Libero (Team Essex).
Players out: Jaden Scott (Polonia), Kanako Hayashi (Polonia).
One to watch: Ariadne Sierra. Returning to the club having previously studied at UEL and played in our BUCs and Club team, she is a pocket rocket who commands the court in serve receive. As for her defence… you’ll see. We are delighted she is back with us in London... once an Eagle, always an Eagle.
View from the coach: “We have a solid base from last year where the team performed well and pushed the top two Teams. We are looking to improve upon our third Place in the league and challenge for a Cup Final place, as it’s been a while.
“We have several Universal players, which means our offence can be switched up at any point and gives us great flexibility. With the addition of our returning Libero, our defence transition should also be greatly improved.”
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University of Nottingham Volleyball club
Home venue: David Ross Sports Village.
Head coach: Freddie Fairbairn.
Team captain: Mar Vives and Isabel Brown.
Players in: Emma Godwin (NJIT), Sandra Korusiewicz (Bucknell University), Abi Ketley (Boswells School).
Players out: Jessica Tasker, Lilly Gellard, Abby Hogan, Emily Smith, Grace Langen, Lucia Nemcovicova, Millie Cattell, Nika Maric.
One to watch: Sandra Korusiewicz. Our outside hitter is joining Nottingham from Buckell University this year. She is an all-around powerful and an exciting player to watch.
View from the coach: "The season ahead looks bright for our young squad that has the firepower and defensive grit to take on all teams. The huge potential of this group is exciting to be a part of.”
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Team SideOut Polonia
Home venue: Moberly Sports Centre, London.
Head coach: Mark Kontopoulos.
Team captain: Gaia Canevari.
Players in: Abby Bertics (Inter Orcas), Anna Tsoumi (Inter Orcas), Caorie Millerd (University of Cambridge), Kanako Hayashi (Flaming Six, Polonia IMKA), Emma Bubola, Jaden Scott (Malory Eagles), Konstantina Skandali (University of Surrey), Alice Jagielska (Richmond).
Players out: Dugyu Yetiken, Maya Wright, Giulia Rastelli (Mutina Beach), Kennedy Snape (Oberbank Steelvolleys Linz Steg), Bruna Bon, Aga Ademek-Peiro, Alexis Crusey, Law Ling.
One to watch: Alice Jagielska. At just 16 years old, she is a young, up-and-coming talent who is already making a name for herself as part of the junior national teams, both indoor and on the beach. Joining our team is the next step in her development as a player.
View from the coach: "We have a really nice group of players, very high quality. Our goal, as always, is to win the league and the cup, and to play at our highest level."
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