Wits arrive for stern showing at Durban USSA Beach Volleyball
- Tshepiso Mametela
The Wits Volleyball Club will look to make their presence felt across the field as they compete in their first-ever USSA National Institutional Beach Volleyball Tournament at the Durban University of Technology between 28 and 30 November.
A team of six players in Terence Makacha, Keagan Lucioli will line up as the male participants for Wits, while Aphiwe Mtshali, Thandeka Shabalala, Jacobeth Langa and Hlahla Mlambo complete the sextet as the four female participants.
“I’m very confident in the players, especially the men’s team as they have experience in playing beach through the tournaments they have been playing around Gauteng,” said Wits Volleyball team manager, Comfort Munya. “As for the women's team, it’s their first time playing in the sand but we have worked hard and I’m confident they are ready to compete and win games.”
Eyeing a competitive outing before tournament kick-off, Munya said the team engaged in early practice from August to ensure peak mental and physical condition at the tournament. “We hosted some internal league games where we invited UJ teams to join and that created good competition and helped us improve our skills.
“Mentally, I had to train the players to believe in themselves and believe in their partners and their abilities. We had to practice certain skills and tactics that we believe will make us score more points and win. It was a difficult journey but I think we are ready,” Munya added.
A sports officer at Wits Sport, McDonald Mashao, was adamant that Wits would not only arrive but put on a good display at their maiden event, without the expectation of taking tournament honours. “We are not expecting to win this year. We just want to go there and see where we are in terms of competition against other institutions, give it our best and take it from there,” said Mashao.
