3 Nov 2023
Super League Round 4 preview: Brand a mainstay amid Durham rebuild for title defence
The 2023-24 MAAREE Women’s Super League has burst into life during the opening few weeks of the new season with a series of competitive and compelling matches that has seen all 10 top-tier teams showcasing their skill, finesse and power.
But amid all the manoeuvring and jostling for position, the North East club have quietly come to the fore once more.
While it is Essex Rebels who are leading the way on set difference courtesy of three clinical and comprehensive 3-0 wins, the Palatinates are nicely tucked in behind them in second spot with three victories of their own.
After seeing off the Malory Eagles 3-1 at Opening Weekend in Kettering, the team have then beaten the University of Nottingham 3-0 and triumphed 3-1 at Cambridge ARU.
This weekend, they will get the chance to climb to the summit for the first time since the restart as, while the Rebels are without a game, they have twin home games on Saturday and Sunday against Cambridge ARU and Darkstar Derbyshire.
Were they to win both games, it would set the team up nicely for the challenges to come, including a mouth-watering fixture against Essex on 18th November.
For most of the Durham squad, playing in the Super League is a new experience, but one Palatinate who has been there and done it before – not just when it comes to playing in the league, but winning the title – is outside hitter Alice Brand.
The 21-year-old was part last year’s squad that won 17 and lost just once in the league to pip SideOut Polonia to top spot, before clinching the double by beating their closest rivals 3-1 in the National Cup final.
Those experiences have served her well as she has helped to integrate the new arrivals and get them up to full speed.
“Things have gone pretty well for us so far in the new season,” said Alice. “We have dropped a couple of sets but it’s a new team, with me as only one of only two returning players.
“It’s challenging having a new team in all areas of the court, but we are really starting to gel now and the more time we have together, the better it gets.
“Last season couldn’t have got much better with our success in the Super League, the National Cup and BUCS as well. We had a really good team connection.
“We’ve had to build again, but we have some really good new players and we are hoping to be up there challenging strongly throughout the season.
“Essex looks like a strong team this year and Polonia showed they were a good team last year, and I’m sure they will be again, so it could be that they are our two biggest rivals, although other teams obviously could step forward too.”
Like the women, Durham’s men also go into this new season as defending champions, while also featuring changes in personnel.
Alice says the two teams are tightly knit, share the same ambitious aspirations and help each other out where they can.
She said: “We get to interact with the men quite a lot... we normally train at the same time as them and are pretty close.
“We take inspiration from them and I think they do from us. It inspires you when the other teams in the volleyball club are doing well.
“Getting used to the new people is the biggest challenge for both teams, but we are doing it pretty well so far – and it will get better still as the season goes on.”
From Wolverhampton, Alice was introduced to Volleyball in Year 7 at School by her PE teacher Nick Shaffrey, first playing ‘for fun’ before joining local club Tettenhall Tigers.
She later made her NVL debut for Black Country as a teenager in 2016, playing in Divisions 3 and 2, before moving to Birmingham, where she played in Division 1 and the Super League.
Her next move was to Darkstar Derbyshire, where she developed quickly under the watchful tutelage of former England and GB player Maria Bertelli, ahead of moving to study and play at Durham.
Reading for a BA degree in Sport and Exercise, Alice says her studies have been useful in preparing her for matches, both mentally and physically.
“I’ve definitely learned things about how best to look after my body that can help me stay fit,” said the former England U17 and U19 player.
“I’ve also learned about looking after the mind as well, as we’ve studied psychology and sociology.
“There can be a lot of travel involved, especially when you are going down to play the London clubs, so it can be difficult to strike the balance at times when you are studying as well.
“But the team are really good and understand that there might be occasions when you have to work and so can’t train, and we all make it happen.
“I’ve always enjoyed playing and it’s a good outlet. It’s about being in that team environment and the friends that you make along the way by meeting lots of people.”
Although the only Brit on her team, Alice insists that it is important that overseas players feature in the league to keep standards high.
She has benefited from playing alongside players who have developed their skills in the USA, Finland, Canada, Turkey and more.
Alice said: “Players from different countries have different styles, so it helps to learn about those, and it makes you a better player.
“The overseas players we have coming over raises the standards of the league and everyone that plays in it. The homegrown players can learn so much from their experiences.”
Playing two matches in as many days, as Durham will do this weekend, brings with it challenges, but Alice knows there is a rewarding prize at the end of it if they can be successful.
She said: “It is tough when you have games on consecutive days, particularly when we are facing two strong teams in Cambridge and Darkstar.
“But with double the challenge comes double the reward – and that is our aim.”
If you are inspired by Alice to take up Volleyball, you can search to find your nearest club in our club finder.
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