THE Evelyn Partners Jets just couldn’t find their rhythm on Sunday, as they narrowly fell short 40-35 to one of the league’s top teams in Exeter.
“The match was a really defensive game, the defence was excellent from both teams but we just really struggled to break them down in the final third,” said head coach and Jets’ performance lead Serena Kersten.
“We pushed hard to get under five in that last quarter, but we couldn’t quite crack it so that unfortunately means we couldn’t pick up any points on the road. But ultimately, we’re going into the Christmas period in a top-three position.
“It’s very pleasing to see not only how well the girls have adapted, but been able to compete and make every game incredibly close this season. The fact that we’ve been able to push through the majority of them and end up on the right side of the scoreline is really pleasing, setting us up nicely going into the second half of the season.”
This past weekend’s match-up presented a mammoth clash for the league, as both sides have hovered at the top of the table for the majority of the season. With Exeter coming into the contest with a game in hand, a win for the Jets would have helped give the Islanders some much-needed breathing space in the rankings.
However, it simply wasn’t meant to be, as captain Rosie Tonner reflected: “Going into the game, we knew it was going to be tough as Exeter have been near the top all season so far, and last time we played each other, we only lost by six points.
“As a team, we just didn’t play how we’d like. It was a really defensive game, and our defence performed amazingly well to create loads of turnovers, but we just couldn’t convert those in attack and get points on the board. Obviously having many of our players overseas doesn’t help, but it’s certainly not an excuse as our struggles were due to a combination of factors.
“Exeter have many players in the NXT GEN set-up, so they have a really good team with many strong attackers. From this game, we’ll definitely be taking the positives as our defence did such a great job, but we’ll have to regroup in training and work on those attacking struggles.”
Such a strong defensive effort can’t go unnoticed, as the Caesareans held their own to make it just a five-point deficit against one of the league’s best. What makes it even more impressive is that this was done without starting goal defence Molly Carre, as Becca Forrest, Samantha Salzone and Layla Dos Santos, returning from injury, made a devastating impression on the court, creating many opportunities through pulling off an incredible number of turnovers.
The Evelyn Partners Jets’ defence were certainly given their garlands, as Forrest earned opponents’ player of the match as well as player’s player of the match alongside teammate Salzone.
With the Jets now over halfway through their Premier League 3 season and their last match of 2025 all complete, they enter the Christmas break in an impressive third place, exceeding all expectations to culminate in what has been an impressive comeback for the Islanders following several years battling in the regionals.
“To be in the top-three at this point is a massive achievement for us, especially since we’ve gone out there and competed every time to show we belong in this league,” the skipper continued.
“Even though we’re already halfway through the season, the league is still getting tighter. Some of the lower-ranked teams are already pulling off good performances and beating those higher up the table, so the league is still very unpredictable and we can’t afford to be complacent, as we’re not safe yet.
“After reflecting as a team, we’ve done way better than we expected, especially as this is our first season back. So, we’re not putting pressure on ourselves, we’ll be taking it game-by-game with no expectations, aiming to stay in this league.”
Evelyn Partners Jets: Rosie Tonner (c), Lily Jones, Emily Le Gros, Madison Fitzgerald-Wilkins, Antonia Chaytor, Nicole Goddard, Serena Kersten, Layla Dos Santos, Samantha Salzone, Becca Forrest
Other results:
Sussex Thunder 48-59 Ryland
Norfolk United 47-51 Hatfield Hawks
Northants Storm 53-55 Leeds Athletic
YMCA Magic 59-43 Worcester Reds
