NVL Review (13th and 14th December) - League leaders stumble ahead of break

Teams looked to bring the first half of the season to a close this weekend, with a well-earned break on the horizon. For those not involved in the National Cup and Shield, it means over a month away from the court.

Men's NVL

In Men’s Division 1 North and South, both table-toppers dropped points. Newcastle Staffs saw their 100% record come to an end with a defeat to Stockport, while in the South, league leaders IBB Polonia London were stunned by promotion hopefuls Essex Blaze.

Essex Blaze produced a confident 3–0 victory over Polonia, closing the gap to just one full-point win behind the London side. Cambridge remain firmly in title contention after a strong comeback victory over Southampton. After narrowly losing the first set 26–24, the home side rallied to take the next three comfortably (25–16, 25–20, 25–14).

Bristol also secured a 3–1 win over Exeter Storm, although Storm took the second set to keep Bristol under pressure as they battle to maintain fifth place in Division 1 South.

Heading into the Christmas break, IBB Polonia London lead the division with 18 points from eight matches. Cambridge sit two points behind with a game in hand, while Essex Blaze are third and have two games in hand on the leaders.

Division 1 North remains equally tight. Black Country capitalised on Stockport’s victory over Newcastle Staffs by claiming a 3–1 win of their own against Sheffield. Stockport’s first win of the season proved to be an early Christmas gift for the chasing pack, with Black Country on 17 points and Manchester Marvels on 16—just two behind the leaders.

Marvels could have gone top with a win over Sheffield, but it was the Yorkshire side who prevailed in straight sets (25–14, 25–21, 25–21).

Coventry and Warwick Riga head into the festive break following a solid 3–1 win over Tamworth Spartans, a match they may have hoped to close out in three against a team sitting just three points below them.

Division 2 Central saw all four fixtures take place, with half of the matches going the distance. Leicester held off a late surge from Newmarket to claim a 3–2 win (25–21, 25–22, 15–25, 26–28, 15–10). Loughborough Students also had to dig deep, coming from 2–1 down to secure two vital points against Norwich Spikers, who remain joint bottom with Cambridge.

The team in African Sunset stayed hot on the heels of MK City, although MK claimed a 3–1 victory over Cambridge earlier in the day. Sunday’s only straight-sets match in the division saw Oxford Bulls edge a thrilling second-set tie-break against Northampton on their way to a 3–0 win (25–18, 30–28, 25–16).

All eight teams were also in action in Division 2 North, with all but one match requiring at least four sets. Hull Thunder swept past Newcastle Staffs 2 with a commanding 3–0 victory (25–12, 26–24, 25–9), despite a resurgence from Staffs in the second set.

Leeds Gorse 2 came from two sets down to defeat Everton Dugongs and keep pace with table-toppers Darkstar Derbyshire. After losing the opening sets, Gorse showed great resilience to claim a 3–2 win (23–25, 18–25, 25–15, 25–19, 15–9).

Darkstar head into the break top of Division 2 North, three points clear of Lincoln Cannons. They recovered from losing the first set to Sheffield Springers to take a vital 3–1 victory (22–25, 25–20, 25–12, 25–16). Those points proved crucial as Lincoln Cannons also won 3–1 against Nottingham Rockets, leaving Rockets with just one win from six matches.

Division 2 South featured just two fixtures. League leaders Richmond Bucks maintained their 100% record for the first half of the season with a 3–0 win over Wiltshire Mavericks.

Kent Invicta remain six points behind the leaders despite their own 3–0 victory against Spelthorne Lions.

In Division 3 North, a single triangular saw Manchester Marvels Marauders host Liverpool and York Vikings. Fourteen sets were played across the event, with the hosts narrowly losing both matches in thrilling 3–2 encounters against York and Liverpool. Liverpool required one fewer set in their win over York Vikings, moving them to within three points of league leaders Intervolley Manchester.

Division 3 Central also featured one triangular, which delivered plenty of drama, with all matches lasting at least four sets. Black Country 2 fell 3–1 to Telford (25–17, 26–24, 22–25, 26–24), who then repeated the scoreline against Darkstar Derbyshire 2 (26–24, 25–21, 18–25, 25–16).

Black Country were able to salvage two points from the weekend after being pushed all the way by Darkstar in a tightly contested five-set match, eventually losing 3–2 (25–22, 20–25, 22–25, 25–22, 15–9) to the West Midlands side.

Women's NVL

The University of Nottingham look set for a return to the Super League after a dominant victory over Stockport this weekend. The university side kept their Greater Manchester opponents to single digits throughout the match at Sutton Bonington Sports Centre.

The result keeps Nottingham at the top of the table, with their closest challengers, Northampton sitting three points behind, having played two more games.

Northampton maintained their promotion hopes with a hard-fought 3–1 victory over Everton Belugas (25–19, 20–25, 25–21, 26–24), heading into the Christmas break second in the standings.

Cambridge also go into the break on a high after securing a win against Manchester Marvels Mayhem following a closely contested battle at North Cambridge Academy.

Giants and Richmond continue to keep pace with one another, with both sides recording 3–0 victories this weekend to preserve their 100% records. Giants hold a six-point advantage but have played two more matches than their local rivals, Richmond.

Giants dispatched last season’s Super League side Wessex, while Richmond produced a composed performance to defeat Bedminster (25–6, 25–20, 25–15).

Bristol also collected three points with a straight-sets win over London Inter Crocs. They now match Richmond on 12 points but have played three more matches than the capital-based side.

In Division 2 North, all eight teams were in action as they looked to close out 2025 on a positive note. Manchester Liberators and Sheffield each secured three points with 3–1 and 3–0 victories over The Miners Doncaster and Lincoln Cannons, respectively.

Manchester Moss Side Jaguars were pushed all the way but earned two valuable points in a 3–2 victory over Newcastle Staffs. The Jaguars remain top of Division 2 North, although they have played the most matches in the league.

Leeds Gorse rounded off the Division 2 North fixtures for 2025 with a 3–1 win over Everton Narwhals.

Division 2 East saw both matches go in favour of the away sides. Onyx London made the short trip to Kingston College Arena and swept past Richmond 2 in straight sets. Sussex Dolphins also enjoyed success on the road, claiming a 3–1 victory at Herts and The Queen’s School to move just one point behind Onyx.

Wombourne were beaten by Black Country on Saturday, with the West Midlands side battling through a tightly contested 3–1 win (22–25, 25–21, 25–23, 25–21), as no set was decided by more than four points.

Coventry and Warwick Riga went back and forth with Tamworth Spartans, with Spartans edging the contest in a 15–11 tie-break to split the points.

On Sunday, Cardiff Falcons fell 3–1 to Southampton, a result that places the Hampshire side mid-table after six games this season. Cardiff remain bottom of the table, although Riga’s single point lifts them to four points.

Oxford Eagles handed Reading Aces their first defeat of the season with a commanding 3–0 victory. The win moves Oxford to within two points of league leaders Reading, and with a game in hand over both Black Country and the Aces, Oxford could yet move top if they secure maximum points from that fixture.

All the results from the weekend can be viewed here.

Photos by Simon Clarke and Jon Cornish