A combination of daring attacking play and solid defensive work has taken the NWU Varsity netball team into the top four of the 2021 Varsity Netball tournament after five matches.
NWU has so far win against Tuks (73–64), UWC (82–33), UJ (68–63) and TUT (69-40) this past week. Their only loss (71–60) came against the home side, Maties, in a tight tussle, where the powerplay was used to devastating effect against the Potchefstroomers.
One of the stars in Stellenbosch this week has been the new Protea in the NWU ranks, goal shooter, Elmeré van der Berg. Her composure and accuracy in the shooting zone have been tremendous – racking up goals at will when fed with a good ball.
The tall Van der Berg has stepped up and her presence has also opened opportunities for the likes of Lucy Strydom (goal attack) to shoot goals from medium range. NWU captain, Jessica du Plessis has also performed admirably, with her passing and distribution being some of the highlights.
The defensive work from Caitlinn Rousseau and Martiné Jordaan has also been of high quality. The NWU will have to keep their foot on the pedal this coming week though, with matches against Kovsies (Friday, 27 August), and the Madibaz (Saturday, 28 August) ahead. Both matches will start at 13:00.
These remaining matches will give NWU head coach, Elsunet du Plessis an opportunity to test combinations and the timing of the powerplay before the all-important semi-finals take place later this week.
