BLOEMFONTEIN – Defending Varsity Netball champions, the Eagles of North West University (NWU), and last year’s runner-up, the Kovsies of the University of the Free State (UFS), have set the pace in South Africa’s premier netball competition. Both sides won their two Round One matches in the tournament staged at the Coetzenburg Indoor Centre in Stellenbosch.

The Eagles had to dig deep to beat a gutsy University of Pretoria (UP-Tuks) side by a single goal, 60-59, in a thrilling second match of the 2026 Varsity Netball edition, while the Kovsies defeated Maties 49-43.

The Kovsies maintained their intensity, refusing to allow their opponents to pull away.
Going into half-time, the Free State side led the hosts narrowly, 22-19.
While Maties fought hard in front of their home supporters, the Kovsies maintained their composure and showed their pedigree, extending their lead to 35-28 at the end of the third quarter.
They contained the Western Cape opposition until the final whistle. In their opening game, the Kovsies were made to work hard to overcome a tough UP-Tuks side 58-55.

Newcomers, the Central University of Technology, Free State (CUT), suffered two losses, 43-48 to Wits and 35-57 to powerhouse University of Johannesburg, respectively.

The CUT side will be seeking their first Varsity Netball victory when they head into the next round at Callie Human Hall in Bloemfontein, while the Kovsies will be looking to tighten their grip on the log.

The teams will battle it out over two days, Sunday, 30 and Monday, 31, in the City of Roses. Records are set to tumble in the upcoming fixtures when four undefeated teams face off. They are the Kovsies, Wits, UJ and the defending champions, the Eagles. All four teams are tied on eight points on the log. The hosts, UFS, will face Wits at 13:00 on Sunday, while UJ and NWU will clash at 15:00.