SEVERN Stars' have endured a challenging start to their 2021 Vitality Netball SuperLeague season with two defeats on the opening weekend of the campaign.

Stars took on two-time SuperLeague champions Wasps on Sunday evening but were second-best in the end as they fell to a 34-53 loss at Studio 001 in Wakefield, after suffering a narrow 30-36 defeat to Strathclyde Sirens on Friday night.

Following the Sirens defeat, Stars were hoping for a better outcome but the strong Wasps side started the evening strongly and the Stars couldn't get going early on.

The disappointing start saw Stars struggle to move the ball through court against a physical Wasps side who dominated the first quarter.

A number of mistakes from Stars and tight defence from Josie Huckle on Stars’ goal shooter, Georgia Rowe, meant the natural flow of the Stars game was not connecting, which was imperative as Rowe was shooting at 100 per cent.

The quarter ended with Wasps in a commanding position at 16-4 ahead.

Changes for the second quarter saw Jane Taylor (goal attack) and Lucy Harris (centre) come on for Stars, and Paige Reed and Liana Leota move to the bench.

Taylor’s quick movement opened up the circle, which allowed Rowe more availability under the post. Dee Bolakoro was also brought on for Stars, who quickly made an impact with her new formed defensive partner, Lucy Herdman.

Following her strong performance in the last game, Herdman continued to provide stability at the back but it was Wasps that extended their lead with consistent play on court, leading 14-31 at half-time.

After the interval, Stars improved and the team’s movement on court picked up and the ball made its way into the circle due to good movement from Taylor.

However, Stars continued to struggle to capitalise on their turnovers, which was evident in the scoreline, with Wasps scoring twice the number of goals as Stars over the 12 minutes, ending the quarter 20-43 to Wasps.

Reed made a strong return to the game in the final quarter while captain Leota worked to split the defence and Immy Thomas also entered the game at wing defence, providing another option for Bessell.

Wasps made a number of changes throughout the quarter, but it didn't stop their flow and even though Stars won the final quarter 14-10, the final score was 34-53.

Severn Stars coach, Melissa Bessell, said she expected a higher level from her players but insisted they would come back stronger.

"These players are expected to play at a higher level and give a better performance and there is really no excuse for today’s performance," she said.

"It is back to the drawing board for us, but we have time to fix it and we will come back stronger. We have just put the pressure on ourselves because we have to win every match now."

Severn Stars take on current champions Manchester Thunder on Sunday February 28th at 12pm, which is available to watch on the Sky Sports YouTube channel.