Captains Juline Rossouw and Melandi Pretorius will be leading a young and energetic Maties side into the inaugural Varsity Netball series and have high hopes for the coming tournament.
Rossouw spoke to Varsity Sports and mentioned that the team had undergone a rigorous pre-season programme under the tutelage of Tanya Powell.
Regular fitness sessions, biodex and BIA (body index assessment) tests, gym work, boxing and swimming all formed part of the preparation and the players are fit and well conditioned.
With three games in three days this might prove to be vital in making a solid start to the campaign. Maties face their intervarsity rivals UCT on Saturday in Port Elizabeth and will look to atone for their earlier loss in the year when the Victorians stood in for the Maties due to logistical reasons.
Hosts NMMU will pose a stiff challenge and will also look to improve on their showing at the University Students Tournament (USSA-tournament).
Rossouw said that NMMU are an experienced side and potential and Maties will definitively not underestimate the team from the friendly city. The last match of the round will be against UJ and both teams will have to make sure they are fresh and ready come Monday night.
The teams to beat are definitively Tukkies (Gauteng) and Kovsies (Free-State) as at both USSA-tournament and the Senior Championships these two teams contested the finals, whilst Pukke are also always strong and will also be a strong challenge during the season.
Coach Christine Markgraaf will be ably assisted by Sandra du Plessis and the team and management will take massive confidence into the tournament after being crowned Boland Champions for 2013.
Maties squad for the opening weekend: Karien Jordaan, Melandi Pretorius, Lizanne Visser, Almari Liebenberg, Haike Brink, Lou-Ann Nagel, Sune Claassens, Anne Uys, Juline Rossouw, Akile Khoza, Rulanda Pretorius, Tilida Maas.
By Dorfling Terblanche
