Women’s volleyball team clinches second consecutive title at USSA Games
Head coach, Mr Marcellino Harold, said preparations for this year’s USSAs differed significantly from those in 2025.
The University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Women’s Volleyball team has claimed gold at the University Sports South Africa (USSA) Games, making it a back-to-back triumph after also winning the title in 2025.
The two-time champions defended their title by defeating the Durban University of Technology in the final, in which three junior athletes made their first-ever final appearance.
The junior athletes were Anele Masondo, Hannah Enoch, and Sreya Rajagopal. Head coach, Mr Marcellino Harold, said preparations for this year’s USSAs differed significantly from those in 2025.
He said, “Last year, we had a team of experienced senior players, many of whom have since graduated and left the university. This year, we welcomed several first-year players, creating a mix of experienced and new talent. We had to prepare differently by building the younger players’ confidence and helping them believe they could win the tournament, and that became the focus of our training sessions.”
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Despite being a hard taskmaster, he was praised by co-captains, Busisiwe Maposa and Selina Naidoo, for his understanding nature, belief in the team, and exceptional coaching style.
Maposa, who has served as captain for three years, said training was more intense this year, particularly for the senior players, with the team playing six games to qualify for the USSAs and mentoring the juniors.
Three students were selected to represent the national team: Bontle Finger, Vishaya Naidoo, and Jadene Moodley.
In addition, three special awards were presented to UKZN students: Busisiwe Maposa was named Best Attacker, Vishaya Naidoo received the Best Blocker award, and Jadene Moodley was recognised as Best Libero.
