The Tuks women’s volleyball players have set their sight on trying to win another trophy over the weekend when they compete in Champions Cup Tournament at Wits.

Their confidence sprouts from last year’s beach volleyball success. Tuks won the USSA as well as the Varsity Tournaments. Now it would seem as if the players got addicted to the concept of winning.

The Tuks women’s team did not compete last year, but in 2016 they finished third overall. 

Tuks certainly has no lack of experience Vanessa Sardinha- Da Silva who captained the beach volleyball team is playing as is her coach, Dina Kladis. The former national women’s captain, Kirsten Pocock is also on the side. Natasha Webber is another former national player in the team.

Cathryn Driver who works at Necsa doing research in nuclear medicine for cancer diagnosis/therapy has decided to make a comeback. The last time she played for Tuks was in 2011.

Sardina-Da Silva is confident that she and her teammates will give a proper reckoning of themselves. 

“It is going to be a tough competition. I am made to understand that there will be 14 women's teams competing which would be amazing as I think last there was only a handful at last year’s tournament. Our main goal will be to try and qualify for the Zone 6 Tournament. To do so, we will have to be one of the top two teams.”

Andriko von Ludwiger who in March played in the semi-finals of the National Beach Volleyball League in Durban will be playing for the men's team.

At 47 years Lebohang Ncume is the “old man” in the Tuks team. The last time he played for Tuks was in 2009. It seems he could not resist the lure of playing again. A classic scenario of once a volleyball player always a volleyball player.

There is a lot at stake. The top four women’s teams will join the competition’s top 8 men’s teams for a slice of the R100 000 prize money on offer at a Classic Tournament in September in Durban.