No spell for Magic with three matches in row

Just back from a difficult trip across the Tasman, the Waikato/Bay of Plenty Magic will start another crucial phase in their campaign tonight when they meet the NSW Swifts in Tauranga.
The game will be the first of three the Magic will play in seven days - they meet the Canterbury Tactix in Rotorua on Thursday before heading south to face the Steel on Sunday.
In a condensed season, all teams experience a double-header round at some stage and, for Magic captain Laura Langman, the emphasis is on staying grounded as the race for play-off spots intensifies.
"It's going to be a huge week," said Langman, who tonight plays her 100th Magic game.
"The double-header rounds, on top of travel, little niggles and just the intensity of the competition, really adds to how hard it is."
She believes the trick to getting through the next week will be to stick to the old mantra of taking it one game at a time.
Langman said the Magic's build-up had been fully focused on how to tackle the talented Swifts line-up.
"We want to get off to a good start and ultimately win all those three games. But it's a matter of taking it game by game otherwise you're at risk of getting a little bit overwhelmed by it all."
Tonight's much-anticipated 7.40 clash between two of the competition heavyweights will be played in a far from glamorous setting. The only venue available was the Queen Elizabeth Youth Centre, which seats just 1500 and looks past its best.
Boasting five Australian Diamonds players - Catherine Cox, Susan Pratley, Kimberlee Green, Mo'onia Gerrard and Rebecca Bulley - as well as English star Sonia Mkoloma, the Sydney side lay claim to having the most depth in the league.
But somehow the Swifts have failed to convert their immense talent into on-court dominance, and lie only fifth in the standings with an unspectacular five-win, three-loss record.
With the Melbourne Vixens and Northern Mystics, who sit third and fourth on the ladder respectively, having already notched up wins this round, Swifts coach Julie Fitzgerald said her side desperately needed to collect the points tonight to stay in touch with the top four.
"The team is aware of the fact that we've got ourselves into a situation where one more loss could potentially rule us out of the finals," said Fitzgerald.
"They know that they're playing in pressure situations, but they're used to being there."
The Swifts will go into the match well-rested, coming off a bye. They have not played since March 27, making it difficult for the Magic to get an accurate gauge of where their opponents are, form-wise.
The Magic v Swifts clash is the first of two big transtasman matches tonight, with the Mystics hoping to break their duck on Australian soil when they face the West Coast Fever in Perth in the late game.