Maties Captain Juline Rossouw spoke to Varsity Sports ahead of her team’s coastal double header in Port Elizabeth.
The final year Education student, who is in her fourth Varsity Netball campaign, is vastly experienced and knows what is required to mix it up with the leading universities in the competition.
Against Pukke the Maties were going toe to toe with the defending champions, but the power play saw the visitors sprint to a handy lead. “Pukke made the smart decision of substituting a taller player in goal and showed that a team must also defend during the two minutes, and not just focus on attack. We worked hard during the week and know this aspect will be vital against Tukkies,” said Rossouw.
Regarding the team’s goal for the trip to PE she said that “we (Maties) strive for continuous improvement and will want to collect two victories in PE.”
Tukkies started strongly last week against perennial powerhouses Kovsies, but last year Maties beat them in the semi-final. Asked if the Maties are confident going into the encounter, Rossouw said:
“We are very excited and positive ahead of the match. During the week we worked hard on the small things that didn’t click against Pukke. Playing against Tuks is always a challenge, and we have already put any results from last year in the past, as it is a new season and new players are involved for both universities. “
With a committed team and some positive memories from visits to PE, the Maties are ready to bounce back and collect a set of victories at the NMMU Indoor Centre.
Maties team: Juline Rossouw (Captain), Jo Prins (Vice-Captain), Charmaine Baard, Cari Swart, Somari Els, Sasha-Lee Petersen, Stephanie Brandt, Annerine Snyman, Abeline Olivier, Carla Werth, Megan Gossman, Leanne Nigrini.
Maties Netball Fixtures:
Maties vs Tukkies, 11 September, 16:30, NMMU Indoor Centre (live on SuperSport 4)
Maties vs Madibaz, 12 September, 18:00, NMMU Indoor Centre
By Dorfling Terblanche
