On home territory at the weekend, Otago clocked up wins over Canterbury (50-40) on Saturday night and Cook Strait (59-45) yesterday to go top of the table in the seven-team month-long tournament.
Coach Janine Southby was delighted by the results, particularly as her squad had been involved in club netball on Saturday morning, while five players also had university exams.
‘‘We gave everyone game time against Canterbury and it was a bit messy at times. But today was a really good performance . . we played consistently well and the result showed that.''
Former Otago Rebels Anna Molineaux was a stand-out in the match against Cook Strait, a Wellington and Tasman combined team.
As well as shooting consistently, the goal attack also lent a hand on defence, hauling in five intercepts. Emily Close, playing at centre, also impressed yesterday.
Southby said her team showed a lot of character during the weekend and she believed it boded well for the future of Otago netball.
‘‘Our average age is 18. This is the first year away from home for a lot of these girls but they are handling things well. They're a great bunch of girls to work with.''
The competition has this weekend off, before Otago heads north to play Auckland and Bay of Plenty on April 26-27.
Southby was reasonably confident going into the final two matches, despite the added pressure of being the only unbeaten team.
‘‘We still need to work on a few things but we are improving as the competition progresses.''
The Lois Muir Challenge is a feeder competition for the ANZ Championship and is designed to provide pathways for players and simulate the professional environment.
Southby said some of her young squad would be contenders for the New Zealand under-21 team and could also feature for Otago in the national championships later in the year.
