It would not be wrong to call the USSA Netball Tournament the toughest competition in South Africa.
The team that wants to win will have to be at its best in nine matches in five days. The chances of any team finishing the tournament undefeated are slim. Matches are going to be lost. It is how you fight back afterwards that will matter.
The matches are played on cement courts, so the toll on the players' bodies will be great. The challenge for every coach will be to think carefully about who plays when.
Over the last five years, Tuks was victorious twice (2021 and 2024). Maties were the champions in 2022 and 2023, while UJ won last year. Tuks finished third last year.
Tuks coach, Amanda Mynhardt, is cautiously optimistic about her team's chances.
"This is a strong group. Eight of the players who participated in last year's USSAs are playing again. The players now understand what is expected of them. It is because, as a coach, I gained their trust."
Kyla Dames will be the captain. Luca Keun and Phophi Nematangari are the vice captains. Dames did not mince her words when asked about the team's goal.
"We want to win. To do so, you need a solid game plan, and we do. What excites me about playing is the way we back each other on the court. That makes us a dangerous team."
As for her best on-court traits as centre or wing-attack, the third-year BComm Business Management student said she considers herself a player her teammates can rely on.
"I bring stability to the team. I will never pass the ball without considering the possible outcome. I will always be there to help and to get the team out of a difficult situation."
Nematangari, who plays wing defence, could be called a veteran when it comes to playing for Tuks at USSAs. Next week in Bloemfontein will be the fifth time she will do so.
She is one of six Tuks players who played for the Jaguars at the recent Telkom Netball League. The Jaguars lost in the semifinals. Asked about her takeaway of the tournament, she answered, "To never back down. Keep playing hard even when not yielding the results you desire as a team. A never-giving-up mentality is one of the strengths I bring to the team. If we all can do so at USSA's, we could get a podium finish. Hopefully higher than last year."
Keun, a 4th-year BComm Accounting Science student, believes that no tournament is ever won on paper.
"It's about who plays best together as a team and who backs each other in good and bad times. We have a lot of new players, so we are quite unpredictable. Having said that, we still have a lot of experience among the senior players. We are a very close team that enjoys playing together. That will also count for us."
Playing as a goalkeeper or goal defender, she sees her strength as stepping up at crucial moments and changing the game's outcome.