The Dunedin club is the top seed in the second division.
Coach Jock Murley said his side was bitterly disappointed not to have qualified for the main draw but planned to make the best of the situation with some good performances in the second-tier tournament.
"It is pretty disappointing for us," Murley said.
"Having beaten most of the teams in the South Island throughout the season, relatively comfortably, our qualifying tournament was not good and we lost a couple of games and missed out.
"Since then, we've managed to beat the top qualifying team on a couple of occasions. So it is disappointing for us but we're looking to do fairly well in division two."
The qualifying system is expected to change and the Scorpions plan to be battling for the major prize next year.
Murley said his side did not have much information about the teams it will face this week.
What the team can control is its own form and recently it has been solid. Outside players Louise Brazier and Anna Coulthard are hitting the ball hard and playing well, and libero (specialist defensive player) Rachelle Yardley is a reliable and versatile player.
The Scorpions, who are in pool A, open their campaign on Thursday morning with a match against Nelson and play Rotovegas in the evening. On Friday, they play the New Zealand Defence Force in the morning and Northland in the afternoon.
All the matches are the best of five sets with the top team in pool A playing the runner-up in pool B for a place in Saturday's final.
Scorpions
For national club champs
Louise Brazier (c), Anna Coulthard, Stacey Contain, Dayna Whiting, Gabby Fifield, Sophie Joy, Casey Freed, Rachelle Yardley, Laura Anderson, Marlene Galbraith (manager).
Coach: Jock Murley.
