The City West Falcons will look to maintain their high-intensity style as they challenge the Melbourne University Lightning in Round Seven of the Victorian Netball League on Wednesday night.
The action will get underway from 7.00pm at the State Netball and Hockey Centre with five exciting match-ups set to take place.
The Falcons enter the round as arguably the form team of the VNL season so far, sitting third (Championship), first (Division One) and second (19/Under) on their respective ladders.
Despite the strong start, the Falcons have been challenged to field a team most weeks, with low squad numbers, injuries and losing players to the Victorian Fury all having an impact.
Utilising their scholarship program, many younger players are receiving the opportunity to experience playing in the VNL for the first time.
“It’s a great start to the season for the club to be top four in all three grades. Having had the opportunity to introduce kids from our Scholarship Program to play at this level has been great for our club and their development,” City West Falcons Coach Nicole Richardson said.
After suffering a defeat at the hands of the Boroondara Express in the opening round, the Falcons championship side are on a five-game winning streak.
They will face their toughest challenge of the season in their upcoming match against the Melbourne University Lightning, who sit on top of the ladder undefeated this season.
After scoring a season-high 82 goals in their last outing against the Yarra Valley Grammar Ariels, the Falcons are primed to take on the number one defensive side this season.
“We played a really good game on the weekend against the Ariels by reducing our turnovers, valuing the ball in possession, scoring off centre passes and sticking to our structures which I think we have done really well for the past three to four weeks,” Richardson said.
“If we can maintain that effort and play with a high intensity I think that will be the key for us.”
Another evenly poised match-up will see the Yarra Valley Grammar Ariels and the ACU Sovereigns chase their first championship victories of the season.
In the other matches, the Peninsula Waves will host the DC North East Blaze, the Geelong Cougars will take on the Monash University Storm and the Boroondara Express will challenge the Wilson Storage Southern Saints.
Round Seven Fixtures:
Peninsula Waves v DC North East Blaze (Court One)
Yarra Valley Grammar Ariels v ACU Sovereigns (Court Two)
Melbourne University Lightning v City West Falcons (Court Three)
Geelong Cougars v Monash University Storm (Court Four)
Boroondara Express v Wilson Storage Southern Saints (Court Five)
Visit vnl.com.au for the latest news, results and statistics.
