Severn Stars head coach Jo Trip has challenged her side to get off to a strong start this weekend as they defend their spot on the table.

Trip is eager to see her team assert themselves early in their match against Surrey Storm at Surrey Sports Park on at 6pm.

Trip said: "It is great to be back on the better side of the scoreboard over the past couple of weeks and we look to further cement our place in the top four this weekend.

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"Surrey is a highly competitive team and they love playing in front of their home crowd, so we must be at our best and come out of the starting blocks strong to stamp our dominance on the game early.”

Stars have bragging rights in the fixture, having performed strongly in a 72-55 victory over Storm earlier in the season.

Just one spot separates fourth-place Stars from fifth-place Storm on the league table.

Stars have momentum heading into the clash, with back-to-back victories Celtic rivals Cardiff Dragons and Strathclyde Sirens in recent weeks.

Trip said: “We are excited to tidy up on a few things before heading into a tough rematch against Surrey Storm.

"We know they will have looked at ways that they can break us down so we have been focusing on the areas we feel we can be better in and making sure we demand this of each other in training during the week.”

In their most recent match against Sirens in Scotland last weekend, Stars put in a good shift as they kept the scoreboard ticking over.

While Sirens struggled to put goals on the board, the visitors steadily built their advantage to end the first quarter with a 7-15 lead.

After clinical work with and without the ball in hand, the halftime score was 19-36.

Despite Sirens getting the better of the quarter following the half-time break, Stars lead sat at 36-50 at the end of the third.

The game ended with Stars winning 50-61, after strong contributions from Lefebre Rademan, Rebekah Airey and Ruth Hughes.

Trip said: “Not every win is going to be pretty, and Sirens was one of those games, but at the end of the day, we secured the three points that we needed and that is what matters most.

"On defence, I was really pleased with our intent and our structures.”

Following this week's away clash, Stars' next home game will be at the University of Worcester Arena on Friday, May 24 at 7.30pm.