UWC’s Varsity Netball 2021 concluded in Stellenbosch on Sunday, 30 August with the squad having failed to win a match.
Danlee Mathews’ charges recommenced their campaign on Friday, following the mid-tournament break, with a clash against TUT.
TUT EDGE ROUND 6 CLASH
While the fixture may have been between the two winless teams at the bottom of the log, it still produced plenty of excitement, with TUT claiming a narrow 50-49 victory.
The score was 14-14 after the first quarter and while TUT managed to sneak ahead 27-24 at half-time, UWC got it back to 37-37 after the third quarter.
Next up for Courtleigh Behr and her disappointed teams, lay the mighty challenge of two-time Varsity Netball champions, Tuks.
TUKS SEAL THEIR SEMIFINAL SPOT
After sweating over the possibility of being eliminated from this year’s semi-finals, Tuks had no problem in beating bottom-of-the-log UWC 79-37.
It took them a few minutes to get going, but the Pretoria team led 19-11 after the first quarter. That grew to 41-18 at half-time and they stretched the lead even further after the third quarter (61-27).
UWC had no answer for Tuks in all departments, with both the defending champions’ attacking and defending players controlling the flow of play. Tuks continued to contest every ball, despite having a more than comfortable lead throughout the match.
TUT WIN BATTLE TO AVOID 'WOODEN SPOON'
While the round-robin phase of the tournament, yielded UWC no wins, there still remained one final chance to get a ‘W’ for UWC – in the 7th/8th place playoff.
While UDubs let after the first quarter – by a single goal – TUT fought back to be up-26-23 at half-time. TUT extended their buffer, leading 38-31 after three quarters and then held on to that advantage to beat UWC 49-42 - meaning there was no birthday win for coach Mathews.
At the conclusion of the tournament, Kovsies overturned their round-robin loss to tournament hosts Maties, winning the final – and their fourth Varsity Netball title – with a 55-39 scoreline. Tuks secured the bronze medals, beating NWU 62-48, while UJ beat Madibaz to fifth, 57-44.
Round 1: UWC 41 Madibaz 54
Round 2: UWC 33 NWU 82
Round 3: UWC 30 UJ 68
Round 4: Maties 64 UWC 32
Round 5: UWC 29 Kovsies 91
Round 6: UWC 49 TUT 50
Round 7: Tuks 79 UWC 37
7th/8th Place Playoff: TUT 49 UWC 42
Images and match summaries courtesy ASEM Engage/Varsity Sports.
Danlee Mathews’ charges recommenced their campaign on Friday, following the mid-tournament break, with a clash against TUT.
TUT EDGE ROUND 6 CLASH
While the fixture may have been between the two winless teams at the bottom of the log, it still produced plenty of excitement, with TUT claiming a narrow 50-49 victory.The score was 14-14 after the first quarter and while TUT managed to sneak ahead 27-24 at half-time, UWC got it back to 37-37 after the third quarter.
Next up for Courtleigh Behr and her disappointed teams, lay the mighty challenge of two-time Varsity Netball champions, Tuks.
TUKS SEAL THEIR SEMIFINAL SPOT
After sweating over the possibility of being eliminated from this year’s semi-finals, Tuks had no problem in beating bottom-of-the-log UWC 79-37.
It took them a few minutes to get going, but the Pretoria team led 19-11 after the first quarter. That grew to 41-18 at half-time and they stretched the lead even further after the third quarter (61-27).
UWC had no answer for Tuks in all departments, with both the defending champions’ attacking and defending players controlling the flow of play. Tuks continued to contest every ball, despite having a more than comfortable lead throughout the match.
TUT WIN BATTLE TO AVOID 'WOODEN SPOON'
While the round-robin phase of the tournament, yielded UWC no wins, there still remained one final chance to get a ‘W’ for UWC – in the 7th/8th place playoff.
While UDubs let after the first quarter – by a single goal – TUT fought back to be up-26-23 at half-time. TUT extended their buffer, leading 38-31 after three quarters and then held on to that advantage to beat UWC 49-42 - meaning there was no birthday win for coach Mathews.
At the conclusion of the tournament, Kovsies overturned their round-robin loss to tournament hosts Maties, winning the final – and their fourth Varsity Netball title – with a 55-39 scoreline. Tuks secured the bronze medals, beating NWU 62-48, while UJ beat Madibaz to fifth, 57-44.
UWC’S VARSITY NETBALL 2021 RESULTS
Round 1: UWC 41 Madibaz 54Round 2: UWC 33 NWU 82
Round 3: UWC 30 UJ 68
Round 4: Maties 64 UWC 32
Round 5: UWC 29 Kovsies 91
Round 6: UWC 49 TUT 50
Round 7: Tuks 79 UWC 37
7th/8th Place Playoff: TUT 49 UWC 42
Images and match summaries courtesy ASEM Engage/Varsity Sports.
