UWC’s 2023 Varsity Netball campaign has got off to a bumpy start, following two losses during the opening ‘bumper’ weekend at Wits University.

Coach Vanessa Lingeveldt’s squad were handed the rather daunting task of getting the tournament underway with matches against last year’s runners-up, NWU, and two-time former champions UP-Tuks.

Here are summaries of how the matches unfolded:

ROUND 1

Sunday, 20 August 2023
At Wits Multipurpose Sports Hall, Johannesburg
NWU 51 UWC 36

NWU capped off the first day’s play with a hard-fought 51-36 win over a resilient UWC.

The game saw NWU starting like a house on fire, dictating the pace of the game and with UWC struggling to keep up. The first quarter concluded with NWU in a commanding 23-5 lead, setting the scenario up for a big score in the match.

The second quarter saw the team from the Western Cape come out with a different kind of energy, where they looked to move the ball around at their own pace, which lead to more scoring opportunities. UWC outscored their opponents in the quarter, but it was still NWU that went into the half-time break 31-15 up. 

The third quarter saw UWC fall further behind with NWU adding a further 10 goals. It was a tough quarter for UWC, but it seemed they left their best netball for the final quarter, as they took it to NWU, utilising the power play very well to cut the deficit.

UWC certainly showed that they could be a dangerous opponent in this competition. Unfortunately for the ladies from the Western Cape, their fightback was a little too late against an experienced NWU team who managed to hold on for a 51-36 victory. 

Quarter scores: 23-5 / 31-15 / 41-21 / 51-36
Player of the match: Sanmarie Visser (NWU)

ROUND 2

Monday, 21 August 2023
At Wits Multipurpose Sports Hall, Johannesburg
UP-Tuks 65 UWC 48

UP-Tuks shrugged off their sluggish start from Round 1 to record a well-worked 65-48 win over UWC. 

 
The first quarter set the tone for the rest of the match as Tuks comfortably led 18-8 after the first 15 minutes. UWC struggled to contain the Tshwane side defensively.

The second quarter saw Tuks continue to pile on the goals, but the twist came when they called for their power play. UWC were the ones that utilised it the best, coming to within 11 points of the former champions. This was a big confidence boost for the Western Cape team, and they went into the half-time break within touching distance (33-22). 

Tuks came out firing in the third quarter while UWC struggled to get a real grip on the game and gain momentum. Tuks coach Jenny van Dyk was also animated on the sideline, putting her troops in order when there were errors on the ball that were letting them down. The championship quarter eventually ended with Tuks leading UWC 53-34.

The fourth quarter saw the final power play being called by UWC, where they dominated as well, piling on a further six goals. It made for an impressive overall reading of a 12-2 score line to UWC in both power plays. Tuks were however able to hold their nerve well outside of the power plays, recording an astonishing 65 out of 69 goal attempts. 

Quarter scores: 18-8 / 33-22 / 53-34 / 65-48
Player of the match: Milla Coetzee (UP-Tuks) 
 

UWC squad for the weekend

Nashitah Africa, Courtleigh Behr, Roné Carstens, Amber Coraizin, Renisha Daniels, Shevonne Hoffman, Adri Kannemeyer, Leandré Ketch, Shani Pick, Liandré Schoeman, Wiandi van der Merwe, Kristin van der Ross. 

Match summaries courtesy Varsity Sports Media. All images by Christiaan and Catherine Kotze/ASEM Engage.