UJ may not have claimed any silverware in Plettenberg Bay last week, but the spirit between the Sevens and Beach Volleyball teams was outstanding.
After meeting up at the street parade through Plett on Thursday evening, the Sevens side got right behind the Beach Volleyball players on Friday morning, cheering them on from the stands as they enjoyed a solid opening day.
The favour was returned during the Sevens action in the afternoon and carried through into Saturday as the Beach Volleyball team progressed to the final which was eventually cancelled due to inclement weather.
Sevens team manager Pieter Visser told varsitysportssa.com that the positive vibe between the two sporting codes had been the highlight for UJ in Plettenberg Bay.
“The spirit and support between the Sevens side and the Beach Volleyball team in Plett was amazing. A lot of the players and management had obviously seen each other here and there, but everyone really hit it off once we were there which was great,” he said.
The second leg in Margate this weekend will be more of a challenge as the venues will be split, but Visser is confident that they will be able to work around those issues and back each other up again.
“It might be a bit of a logistical nightmare but we will hopefully work around it. The management of both sides are in constant communication so we should be able to make a plan,” he said.
With both teams in USSA action this week there have been plenty of SMS’s and BBM messages exchanged between the Sevens team playing in George and the Beach Volleyball side in Margate.
The Sevens side managed to build on their experience in Plett and went all the way to the final in George, where they were edged out by a late surge from Maties, which was very encouraging for Visser ahead of the Varsity Sports Margate leg.
“It was a huge step-up for us, a 100 percent improvement. We stuck to the gameplan much better and the experience of playing in Plett really hewlped us to sort out the small details which were missing.
“Maties are a balanced side who have some quality players so they can rip you apart on their day, but we will head to Margate with much more confidence now,” he said.
If UJ maintain the awesome spirit between the codes in Margate then their Sevens and Beach Volleyball sides will have a great chance of improving on their efforts in Plett last week.
