ROUND four of the Vitality Netball Superleague (VNSL) is looking to be a big one, with three potentially ladder-breaking games. Over the opening rounds of the season there have been some big wins, big surprises and close losses, with round four looking to have the same in store.

Round four opens with Team Bath taking on Severn Stars at Team Bath Arena on Friday night at 7:30pm. Bath had a surprise loss to the Storm in round three, proving how much the ladder can change in a short period of time. Despite the toll of missing key defender Eboni Usoro-Brown last week, Bath will want to prove themselves in front of their home crowd to ensure they stay in the top four on the ladder. Meanwhile, fifth ranked Stars will be keen to assert dominance over Team Bath after a convincing win against Celtic Dragons last week.

Saturday evening begins with Loughborough Lightning taking on Strathclyde Sirens at Sir David Wallace Arena at 6pm. Though not a high ladder game, this ninth versus seventh ranked match will certainly impact on mid-range ladder movements come the end of round four. With both sides coming off a tough loss in round three, they will be fighting to come out on top and prove their place in the competition. With potential of a three week losing streak on the cards, the Sirens will want to muster up a strong response to ninth-placed home team Lightning. Meanwhile, New Zealand import, Cat Tuivaiti is yet to be confirmed to take the court after a knee knock in round three.

Surrey Storm will host ladder leaders Wasps Netball on Saturday at Surrey Sports Park at 6pm. The Wasps have had a flying start to the 2019 season so far, backing up their dominant 2018 display and premiership win. Storm, despite a slow start to the season, put on a stellar performance in round three, beating Team Bath in front of a hostile home crowd. Storm will be ready for another tough fight in round four, chasing the winning feeling after sitting in the bottom half of the ladder for most of the season thus far. Wasps put on a dominant performance over London Pulse last week after an extended break, with strong defensive work key to their round three victory.

Manchester Thunder will take on London Pulse in round four at Belle Vue for a 7pm start on Sunday night. Despite the triumphant return of captain Ama Agbeze in round three, Pulse endured another loss returning them to the bottom of the leaderboard. They come up against second ranked Thunder in round four, meaning a stronger effort is needed for Pulse to remain in the game with a loud Thunder home crowd. Thunder asserted their dominance in the competition in round three beating the Sirens by 25 goals, so will want to back up their strong effort and prove their opening round wins were not just flukes.

The final game of round will see Celtic Dragons take on Saracens Mavericks at 7pm on Sunday evening at Sports Wales National Centre. Another potentially ladder-shaking game, Dragons and Mavericks, sitting in sixth and third on the ladder respectively, will both want to force their way further up the ladder with a big win this weekend. Dragons are not used to the winning feeling, having finished bottom of the ladder in both 2017 and 2018, so will want to prove their worth in the competition following a 17-goal loss to the Severn Stars in round three. Mavericks are coming off a dominant round three victory, so will want to maintain their good form to bump their way into the top two. The Dragons will want to up their shooting accuracy after a combined 80 per cent in round three, while defenders, Dee Bolakoro and Stacian Facey will want to back up their strong combined round three defensive effort, picking up six of the 11 intercepts for their side.