The results on the court may have been mixed but South Coast Blaze teams had the joy of playing at the Illawarra Sports Stadium over the weekend - and the connections were not lost on anyone.
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The U23 team came away with a win slender 41-39 win over their UTS rivals while the open's went down 53-42 in round 15 of netball's NSW Premier League competition.
"It's beautiful to play at home, it's absolutely sensational I wish we played here more than once a year," Blaze head coach Marji Parr said.
"I love the feeling of the stadium and the love we feel to be in the red dress in front of the family and friends is so important to feel connected to Blaze as well."
But as many good vibes as they felt the Blaze's open's team e found it difficult to cope with the Sparks' defensive intensity.
With the fifth-placed Blaze chasing every loose ball and intercepts aplenty the game was an entertaining affair.
Defenders for both teams made their presence felt in the first quarter, keeping the ball in the middle of the court as the defence dominated.
Sparks took a two-point lead into the second quarter but soon extended that to a 27-17 advantage at halftime.
But once the Blaze adapted to Sparks zone defensive set-up the home team looked capable of getting back in the match.
Sparks' defence continued to keep Blaze high and wide, hindering their ability to use the middle channel of the court and making them keep their passes and plays short.
Despite this, the mid-courts managed to find reliable Blaze shooter Kristina Brice with ease in the third quarter.
Still the Sparks defence caused some little errors and miscommunication but the Blaze were able to keep the score from lengthening any further and went into the final quarter 11 points in arrears.
And that's the way it stayed.
"It's really disappointing we didn't come away with a win but UTS has done some homework on us and we weren't able to stay on that grind long enough," Parr said.
"We were really focused that we looked after ourselves as a priority and the things we've been building on over the last four games.
"UTS turned up and came out firing so we were prepared for it we just weren't able to capitalise in some of those crucial moments of the game."
The U23 clash started with a bang as both team pulled off flying intercepts in the opening moments before the Blaze's consistency and persistence in their defensive pressure and chasing down every loose ball won them the game.
With the game level 11-all going into the second quarter, Blaze centre Siulolo Richter showed her speed and ferocity, winning over many turnovers for the home team and providing a reliable, safe hand on the ball.
Sparks made line-up changes in the third quarter which paid dividends but with Blaze picking up intensity and winning over more ball, went into the final period ahead 31-29.
Both teams went out hard in the final term, using the rolling subs rule and getting some fresh legs on the court to change up the game.
The confidence in Blaze shooters Mia Evans and Ellie Hart paid reaped rewards as the defence continued to pull off intercepts, building on the lead and the home crowd advanatge
Blaze finished two-point victors, 41-39, a fact which impressed U23 coach Heather Smith.
"I'm really proud of the girls, they've been building to that for a long time.
"They've been working really hard and the growth in them has been enormous - they've displayed their potential out there."
