The University of Johannesburg (UJ) Senior Women’s Netball Team is riding high on a wave of success, having won six out of seven matches in the 2024 FNB Varsity Netball Tournament. The team’s impressive performances have secured them a well-deserved spot in the semifinals, where they will face off against the North-West University Eagles on Monday, September 30th.
UJ has registered six straight wins in Johannesburg, Gqeberha, Mahikeng and Bloemfontein, losing just one match against the University of Pretoria (UP-Tuks) in the last fixture.
Head Coach Bongiwe Msomi has made incredible strides with the UJ Senior Women’s Netball Team over the past few years, reaching the first-ever semifinal in 2022 and their first final in 2023.
At the start of the tournament in Johannesburg, UJ has maintained a winning streak throughout the tournament, with victories over Stellenbosch University (46-38), Mandela University (72-35). They carried the winning momentum with victories of the University of Free State (51-46), and Wits University (59-42) in the second Bumbper Weekend in Gqeberha.
For their fifth away match in Mahikeng, UJ played hosts North West University (NWU Eagles) at the Great Hall filled with a cheering home crowd. The visitors (UJ) led on the scoreboard from the opening to the last quarter, finishing the match with a whopping 64-39 victory.
In all their matches, UJ dominated play on the court. The team called for powerplays in strategic periods of the games to extend their lead when it mattered the most.
Six Player of the Match awards went to the UJ netballers in all the first six matches.
- Cornelia Mupenda (1) – UJ vs MU Madibaz
- Boitumelo Mahloko (1) – UJ vs SU Maties
- Tarle Mathe (1) – UJ vs Wits
- Sanelisiwe Ntobela (2) – UJ vs UFS Kovsies and NWU Eagles
- Alex Meimaris (1) – UJ vs TUT
Sanelisiwe Ntobela (centre), remains the only UJ player with two awards in the tournament thus far. Ntobela has been the standout performer during this tournament, consistently delivering exceptional speed, agility and vision every time she steps on court.
Alex Meimaris is one of the most improved players in the tournament this year, having cemented her spot in the starting lineup with each match. This is Meimaris’ maiden FNB Varsity Netball tournament, and she has been handling the pressure well.
“Alex’s growth has been remarkable, and her confidence continues to soar with each game we play. As I reflect on the Varsity Netball tournament so far, our team has been showing incredible determination and the hunger to win in every match. Every game presented its unique challenges, but we have risen together as team and supported one another together with our management,” says Cornelia Mupenda, Captain: UJ Senior Women’s Netball Team.
The team has lost just one match to UP-Tuks (56-47) in their seventh fixture on Monday, 23 September in Bloemfontein. UJ sits in second place on the Varsity Netball log with 24 points and a points difference of 115. UFS leads the pack with 25 points and 233 points difference.
UJ’s journey to the semifinals has been marked by impressive victories and valuable lessons. The team’s ability to adapt to different playing styles and maintain their composure under pressure has been a key factor in their success.
UJ Netball Team Players: M. Hlathswayo, A. Thusini, Y. Broodryk, J. Steinmann, G. Mdladla, A. Meimaris, S. Ntobela, T. Mathe, B. Mahloko, C. Mupenda, J. Niemand, L. Msomi.
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