Coach Bongiwe Msomi has assembled a solid netball squad of talented University of Johannesburg (UJ) players to challenge for top finish in the 8th edition of the 2021 Varsity Netball competition.
The battle for the best Varsity Netball team got underway on Saturday, 21 August at Stellenbosch, with UJ having won two of their three opening matches. This comes after a year of no Varsity Netball action due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Each team will play seven round-robin matches over eight days, with a rest day on day six. All of the teams will also be involved on days nine and 10, which will feature the semi-finals and the final of the tournament.
UJ won the first match against Tshwane Uniersity of Technology with a 59-27 final score. The second match was a tough, but close encounter with UJ suffering a narrow loss to the Kovsies – University of Free State (UFS) ladies in a 60-54 final score.
In the third match, UJ went back to winning ways with a 68-30 win over the University of the Western Cape (UWC).
Twitter users, particularly UJ Netball followers, expressed views on how the UJ Netball team has improved under Coach Msomi at the helm.
Varsity Netball Tournament Manager, Xhanti-Lomzi Nesi, said the organisers tried to find the right balance to avoid athletes burning out.
‘We had to find the right balance to make sure the athletes, referees and coaches aren’t burnt out, considering that we are completing the entire tournament in less than two weeks. The break after round five gives the tournament somewhat of a second-half feel, and we believe this will reignite the passion of those watching the games live on SuperSport,” said Nesi.
The competition ends on 30 August 2021.
For daily match updates and team news, follow UJ Sport on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
UJ VARTSITY NETBALL 2021 TEAM:
Liza Kruger, Nomfundo Mngomezulu, Henlize Basson, Zene de Waal, Muhluri Hlatshwayo
Monica Gomases, Tarle Mathe, Danielle Esterhuizen, Zanell Blignaut, Minentle Mayekisa
Yanke Broodryk, Valentine Nxumalo, Cornelia Mupenda, Hlengiwe Ngubane