UJ will take on the unbeaten UWC in the first-ever Varsity Sports Beach Volleyball Final in Plettenberg Bay on Saturday.
UJ showed great character to claim a tense 29-24 victory over a solid UP-Tuks outfit in their semifinal, and face an intense showdown with the rampant UWC team who put UCT to the sword in their semifinal.
Conditions were much tougher at Plettenberg Bay Primary than they had been on the opening day, with a much stronger wind making life far more difficult for the players.
UWC dominated the round-robin phase of the competition and they faced their Cape rivals the UCT Ikeys in the first semifinal.
The UWC outfit duly took control of the match early on, with Prudence Luiters’ impressive serving vaulting them into an early lead.
At 10-1 UCT called for a time-out in an attempt to grab the momentum, but it was UWC who took a 19-2 into half-time.
The two UWC players, who went to school together and have a great understanding, kept the pressure on and although UCT showed some good character to get some points on the board it was too little too late.
In the end the UWC team kept their unbeaten record intact and cruised into the final with a convincing 40-15 victory
The second semifinal was a trans-Jukskei clash as UJ locked horns with UP-Tuks, and the teams were far more evenly matched in what was a tense encounter.
The UP-Tuks team took a slender advantage by making the most of the conditions, but some good serving from UJ’s Fatima West cut their lead to just 14-13 at half-time.
UJ took that confidence into the second half and seized the initiative to secure an impressive 29-24 victory.
UP-Tuks will go on to face the Ikeys from UCT in the Bronze medal match before the professionals put on another exhibition ahead of the final.
Beach Volleyball results, Day Two:
Cup semifinals:
UWC 40-15 UCT
UJ 29-24 UP-Tuks
