ROUND 7 of the Vitality Netball Superleague (VNSL) was dictated by a number of star performances from key players across the court. Big wins to Team Bath and Manchester Thunder headlined the round and although Loughborough Lightning did not play they still have top contenders in each respective field.

Goals:

Despite not playing this week given Loughborough Lightning had no fixtured games, Mary Cholhok still leads the way with 262 goals to her name. Making a name for herself throughout her seven appearances Cholhok has been nothing short of consistent for the top of the table side. Karyn Bailey is hot on her heels after another strong outing for Surrey Storm taking her season total to 198 goals while Kim Borger is having a season to remember. A lynchpin under the post for Team Bath, Borger is never out of the contest, always on the move and using her fancy footwork to dominate posting 11 and 29 goals respectively. Wasps shooter, Rachel Dunn plied her trade under the post and despite being down on her lofty total given she only added 15 goals it takes her season tally to 172. The other top performer is Joyce Mvula with the Manchester Thunder goal shooter impressing in Round 7, nailing a whopping 47 goals.

Shooting accuracy:

Sophie Drakeford-Lewis has continued to be a thorn in the side for many opposition teams with the nimble goaler not only prolific but so too accurate. Round 7 was no different with the Team Bath goal attack only missing three goals and sinking a combined 42 goals. She currently boasts a 95 per cent accuracy making her one of the most damaging in the league. Georgia Rowe has steadily snuck up the ladder only missing eight of her 138 attempts at 94 per cent for the Stars, while Borger is a real spearhead in attack credit to her 93 per cent accuracy. Mvula rounds out the group with the Manchester Thunder product dominating with her strength and accuracy to post thanks to her 92 per cent conversion rate.

Intercepts:

Although she had a quieter round than the previous, Strathclyde Sirens defender Towera Vinkhumbo still managed to have an influence adding another three to her ever growing tally. Vinkhumbo’s season tally now stands at 30 with Razia Quashie the next closest at 21. Quashie had a stronger outing in Round 7 but did not manage any intercepts while Vicki Oyesola closed the gap managing one rebound in her outing against Severn Stars. Alice Harvey still features in the top five despite having the week off with her total sitting at 17 intercepts while Lucy Herdman dominated picking up a whopping five intercepts credit to her cleanliness, read of the play and overall defensive nous.

Deflections:

Surrey Storm defender Leah Middleton has been nothing short of consistent, with the goal defence able to chime in and have a profound impact. Using her quick feet and long ranging arms Middleton has racked up the deflections taking her season total to 30 while Herdman is not far off with 26 to her name after racking up eight last round. Vinkhumbo has proven to be a huge asset for the Sirens with her ability to swat away passes and cause deflections paramount thanks to her nimble footwork. Manchester Thunder goal keeper Kerry Almond has been a revelation since joining the competition with the defender amassing three deflections to take her tally to 23 while Quashie is a rock down back using her body positioning and defensive nous to get hands to ball as shown through her 22 deflections two of which came last round.