It is often said that all good things must end, which did for Danillo von Ludwiger, but only after he fulfilled his last goal as a Tuks volleyball player. 

Over the weekend, the USSA Beach Volleyball men's final was an "All Striped Affair" as the Tuks A and B-sides battled it out on the sand. In the end, it was Von Ludwiger and Thomas Schultz who got the better of Heiko Güther and Aidan Pillay.

Von Ludwiger can be forgiven if, afterwards, there was a moment when he thought, "I love it when a plan comes together." The tournament was the last time he donned the coveted striped Tuks vest. So, the sixth-year medical student did not lack motivation. He wanted to win that one last gold medal for Tuks. 

"Hats off to Heiko and Aidan. They made us work for every point. Giving up was never an option for them. It took three sets to win gold."

Von Ludwiger had special praise for Güther. 

"I was impressed with how he stepped up and has matured as a player. I leave knowing that with him playing TuksVolleyball will be in a good place." When reflecting on his on-court heroics, Von Ludwiger can't help saying that 2024 is a year he will remember for some time. 

"I have achieved all but one of the goals I have set for myself. It is the first time that Tuks has won the USSA Indoor and Beach Volleyball Tournaments in the same year. I got to captain South Africa to win the gold at the CUCSA Games. Leo Williams and I won bronze at the Continental Cup in Morocco. The only goal I missed was qualifying for the Paris Olympic Games. But I have qualified for next year's World Champs in Australia."

The "Doctor" credits his success to hard work.

"I made an effort to train nine times a week. Being at Tuks made it easy to do so because of my diligent teammates. During training, we push each other to our limits. 

"It would be wrong not to credit my coaches as well. The Australian coach, Adam Maskell, has given Heiko and me many new perspectives on how to play. Tom has joined in some of the sessions. Tuks's head coach finetuned the art to make every player believe they can play at their best."