Tuks's netball team proved over the previous two days that their one strength in the Varsity Netball Tournament is a never-say-die attitude.
It should therefore come as no surprise that Tuks secured, for the tenth time in 12 years, a place in the semifinals. On Monday they will face off against Northwest University. It will be the third time the two teams will clash in the semifinals. In 2013, Northwest beat Tuks 46–42, but Tuks turned the tables in 2019 by winning 57–38.
Tuks only missed out on being one of the top four teams in the tournament in 2022 and 2025. So far, they have won six semifinal encounters.
Tuks definitely didn't have the best start to the Varsity Tournament. In their first game, they lost 58-55 to Kovsies. They then lost 60-59 to Northwest.
During the match against Northwest, Tuks' fighting spirit first came to the fore. They trailed by 10 goals at halftime and by seven at the start of the final quarter. Tuks erased the deficit and even held the lead for a few minutes; Northwest scored the winning goal only in the dying moments.
Sunday's game against UJ marked another instance where Tuks' fighting spirit shone through. Up to that point, UJ had been the only unbeaten team in the competition. Few likely gave Tuks a chance of winning, especially since UJ had thrashed them 50–39 in the USSA final.
But a fired-up Tuks team took the court. The combination of Skyla Eley and Kamogelo Maseko in the goal circle gave Tuks a blistering start, as they raced to a 7–1 lead within the opening five minutes. Player of the Match Phophi Nematangari also pulled off several intercepts. UJ fought back well; at halftime, Tuks led by only 23–21.
The turning point came in the third quarter when Maseko and Kyla Dames (captain) combined brilliantly in attack to restore a six-goal lead for Tuks. This was arguably one of Tuks's best performances; they controlled the match throughout. It forced UJ to play catch-up all the time.
Yesterday, Tuks outplayed Wits to win 70-50. In doing so, they finished second on the log. UJ tops the log with 25 points. Tuks have 22. Northwest and Kovsies both finished on 21 points. Tuks have the best goal difference: 85.
UJ and Kovsies will contest the other semifinal.