Wasps chase win against Storm
Hannah Reid says Wasps Netball will be doing “everything they can to win” when they host her former team on Monday night.Wasps Netball lock horns with current Superleague champions Surrey Storm at the Ricoh Arena in a highly anticipated Vitality Netball Superleague clash on Monday, May 22 (8.00pm centre-pass).
Storm are locked in a battle for the fourth and final play-off spot with Team Bath and arrive in Coventry needing three points to stay in pole position for the Final Four.
Goal defence Hannah Reid said: “Storm is going to be a really tough game for us, they have absolutely everything to play for and will of course come to the Ricoh Arena knowing they need to win.
“Josie Huckle and I will have our work cut out in defence. Megan Craig is 6ft 7ins tall, she’s a target for them and can be really lethal on form.
“They have great supporting players too, Katie Harris and Rhea Dixon are both goal attacks we can’t afford to underestimate.
“It should be a great game with a really great atmosphere. Storm have got some really vocal supporters but I know we’ll have all the Wasps fans behind us as well.”
Reid, now Wasps captain, captained Storm to the Superleague title last season and is hoping to do the same with her new side this year.
She added: “It will always be strange for me playing against Storm, and of course for some of the other players here too, but I think once we get out on the court we’ll be doing everything we can to win.
“It would be difficult for us not to make the Final Four now. We’ve got a few more games to go before that, so we need to take experience from those games which will help us to prepare for the Final Four.”
Wasps came out on top the first time the two teams met, coming away with a 51-58 victory in the reverse fixture.
The win sparked a seven game winning streak for the team and marked a turning point in Wasps’ season.
Storm have endured a tough run of form of late, winning just one of their last three and will meet a Wasps side looking for their fifth consecutive home win.
Wasps have all-but secured their Final Four spot, with the chasing pack needing to win all their games, Wasps lose their final three and a 100 goal swing to take place for the team to miss out.
Tamsin Greenway, Wasps Director of Netball, added: “By getting that win against Manchester Thunder, we now have the opportunity to use these next few games to work hard on some of the things we need to improve on.
“We’re getting ready for the Finals now and we’ll hope to keep getting better in the lead-up to that weekend.”
The Wasps Fan Village will be open from 4.45pm before the game, with an 80s themed party taking over the Ericsson Indoor Arena as pre-match entertainment in the build-up to the game.
Tickets for Wasps Netball vs Surrey Storm on Monday May 22 start from £10 for adults while under- 10s go free, and can be purchased from www.waspsnetball.co.uk/tickets.
ENDS
Picture caption 1: Hannah Reid rises highest against Loughborough Lightning earlier this season
Picture caption 2: Hannah Reid gives a team talk mid-game against Celtic Dragons