Ollie Stevenson
When Nottingham Men won the BUCS Volleyball National Championship back in 2021-22, they did it on home soil, beating Essex 3-1 in what head coach Freddie Fairbairn described at the time as a “truly professional performance.”
It was their first national title in 17 years. Four years on, they’re back in a final, this time across the midlands against a Newcastle side that have build one of the most dangerous university volleyball programmes in the country.
The matchup is a good one. Both teams compete not just in BUCS but in the NVL Super League, the top tier of club volleyball in England, which means neither side is short on big-match experience. These are two squads which have been tested at the highest level of the domestic game all season, and by the time they step out at the Sir David Wallace Building, it will feel routine.
As routine as a National Championship final can, anyway.
Newcastle compete in the Super League as the Newcastle Knights, having taken over the franchise ahead of the 2024-2025 season, and they have so far made light work of the current campaign with a sensational record of 12 wins from 13 games.
Looking at the BUCS scene, and their Men’s 1’s team have made it through a competitive bracket to reach their first Championship final in recent memory, and doing it against Nottingham, the 2021-22 champions and a perennial presence in the top half of the Premier table, is about as tough a draw as the bracket could have thrown at them.
Their BUCS leagues records, however, show a different divide. Nottingham went ten from 10 in the Premier division, dropping just three sets across the entire campaign. Flawless, in any reading of the word.
Newcastle came second, but their road was bumpier, with three defeats and 13 sets dropped along the way.
Whether this gap matters in a one-off final is a different question entirely, but it paints a good picture of where these two programmes are right now.
Nottingham know they do not require home advantage to beat this Newcastle side. Earlier in the season, the Men 1st travelled to Newcastle and came away with a 3-1 win, which will give them the psychological edge coming into this match.
But Newcastle won’t be the same side they faced back October. Finals change things, and a side that has earned the right to be here, despite a tougher route through the season, won’t fold because of a result from three months ago.
Nottingham were ranked the number two volleyball institution in the country in 2024-25, and this squad carries the expectation that comes with that. The club is arguably the biggest university programmes in England, with eight BUCS teams across the men’s and women’s game, and the Men’s 1st have been the standard-bearers all season.
Getting here is one thing, but finishing the job is another.
The last time Nottingham stood in this position, in 2021-22, they made no mistake. Four years is a long time in university sport. Rosters turn over, momentum shifts, and what was true then doesn’t guarantee anything now.
But the core of this squad has been through enough together to know what’s required, and the experience of competing in the Super League week in, week out means the occasion won’t be too big for them.
Newcastle, for their part, won’t be overawed either. They’ve made this final on merit, and arriving as somewhat of an underdog might suit them just fine.
This will be an even final, and UoN will need to give it their everything if they are to get over the line and lift the trophy.
Match Details
Where? Sir David Wallace Building, Loughborough University
When? Wednesday 25th March, 5:30pm
How to watch? Live on BUCS YouTube as part of Big Wednesday coverage.
Ollie Stevenson
Featured image courtesy of UoN Sport. No changes were made to this image.
In article Image 1 courtesy of UoN Sport. No changes were made to this image.
In article Image 2 courtesy of UoN Sport. No changes were made to this image.
