Kovsies and Proteas stalwart and captain Maryka Holtzhausen has nothing but praise for her side after they were crowned champions of the Varsity Netball tournament on Monday night.
Kovsies beat NWU Puk 44-40 in the final in Potchefstroom, ending Puk’s unbeaten run of form in the process. The hosts went into the final of the inaugural tournament as favourites, but in the end it was a team effort from a motivated Kovsies side that saw the evening end in despair for the home side.
“Our team has showed so much character throughout the series and again in the final. It is an unbelievable feeling to win the first Varsity Sports title. This was a team effort from start to finish and we are all very proud of what we achieved,” Holtzhausen said.
Kovsies travelled to Potchefstroom as underdogs after losing two of their eight games in the group stage, one of which against Puk in Round One of the competition. And even though they had a slow start to the final, it was in the third and final quarter that the champions showed what they are made of.
“We struggled in the first couple of quarters, but then pulled it together. When we started playing for each other and as a team, it showed on the court and on the score board. The senior players did very well, but a big shout out must also go out to the younger players, who did more than their share to make sure we take home the title,” Holtzhausen added.
Kovsies coach Burta de Kock has also lauded her players for shrugging of off court disruptions and pulling through when it mattered most. Many of the Kovsies players are currently writing exams at the University of the Free State and juggling netball and studies at the same time is a difficult feat.
“The girls have done an amazing job. We’ve had a lot of disruptions due to injuries and exams. And we were got stuck in a hale storm on our way to Potchefstroom, which meant that we couldn’t warm up properly, but the girls just shrugged it all off and pulled together to win the final. It is such a wonderful achievement for us,” De Kock said.
