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Kovsies win record fifth Varsity Netball title─── MORGAN PIEK 07:44 Tue, 08 Oct 2024
Kovsies also has the distinction of never having lost in the final. In addition, for the first time, Kovsies are the Varsity Netball champion and Varsity Cup Rugby champion simultaneously.
The University of the Free State is the five-time Varsity Netball champion following a thrilling final at the Callie Human Hall in Bloemfontein.
UFS won the title in the most dramatic style by leaving it until late after their power play in the fourth quarter only yielded two points due to brilliant and smart defence by their opponents.
On Monday night, the Kovsies became the first team to win the coveted title for a record fifth time by beating the University of Johannesburg 58-55 after the final went into extra time.
Player of the Match, Refiloe Nketsa. Photo: Hannes Naudé/Asem Engage
The match was deadlocked at 47-47 after regulation time, and halfway through extra time, it was level at 51-51.
After the first quarter, Kovsies held a 13-12 lead and took that to 23-21 at halftime. The third quarter was just as tense with the hosts holding a one-goal lead at 35-34. Nothing separated the two teams at the end of regulation time forcing the final into extra time, and if it was still deadlocked, it would have gone into sudden death with the first team to score twice winning.
Kovsies shifted into seventh gear when it was needed the most and on top of that, they won turnovers at crucial moments as they remained the more composed of the two teams.
Player of the tournament, Rolene Streutker. Photo: Hannes Naudé/Asem Engage
Ultimately, Kovsies, of which most of the players won the Telkom Netball League with the Free State Crinums earlier in the year, held their nerve and rewrote the history books again.
Kovsies also has the distinction of never having lost in the final. In addition, for the first time, Kovsies are the Varsity Netball champion and Varsity Cup Rugby champion simultaneously. In April, the Shimlas beat UCT in Bloemfontein to win the Varsity Cup a second time.
Refiloe Nketsa and Pierre Uys, Shimlas Varsity Cup winning captain. Photo: Hannes Naudé/Asem Engage
The Kovsies captain and Proteas star, Refiloe Nketsa, was named the Player of the Match, while Rolene Streutker was named the Player of the Tournament.
