Although plagued by injuries and not even having a substitute bench in the final, the Kovsie Men's volleyball team rose above the rest. It claimed a revolving Shield Trophy in its maiden University Sport South Africa (USSA) championship.

Beating the odds

 In a show of superior stamina, the Kovsies managed to defeat the University of Fort Hare in two straight sets, 25-21 and 25-13, in the final. This was despite injury woes that troubled the side at the tournament, which took place from 2 to 8 July 2017 at the University of KwaZulu-Natal's Westville Campus.

The team couldn’t pick injured captain, Linten McKenzie, in the semi-final against Tuks, and also lost star centre Teboho Mokobocho (ankle) during the game. But the Kovsies still managed to beat the University of Pretoria 2-1.

Adapting to circumstances

In the final, Tsepo Tsoanamatsie, our head coach, had to adapt his team’s style of play as he had no substitutes available. Ace serves, high blocks, sharp back-court defence, and spikes helped the team secure a victory.

The team eventually won five of seven games and shot up to be ranked 9th among 18 institutions.