The team secured qualification courtesy of their number one ranking in Africa.
The St Dominic’s School teacher believes the upcoming tournament will provide a learning experience for the team.
“South Africa won’t be the best team going into the tournament so our goal will be to improve our performances against the world’s greatest sides like the United States, China and a number of European teams.
“My personal goal for the tournament as a goalkeeper will be to keep out as many goals as possible to help the team,” added the 26-year-old.
Jacobs made her debut for the national side in July last year at the World Championships in Barcelona.
Asked to describe her emotions when she initially learned of her selection for the national side, Jacobs responded: “I was ecstatic, it’s what you work for your entire life. I was in shock, I was running around the house, screaming and I jumped on my mother when I received the email.”
Her first involvement in water polo was when she joined St Dominic’s in Grade Six under the watchful eye of colleague, Fiona Cullen, who introduced her to the sport.
“When I was still a learner, I joined St Dominic’s from Laerskool Baanbreker, but when I got here, I found that there was no athletics,” she says.
“I was very frustrated because I took part in athletics at my previous school and I loved it.
“I had to find an alternative sport, so I started swimming and that is when Fiona introduced me to water polo.
“The sport grabbed me and I just fell in love.
“I went on to play provincials at u-14 level before making the u-16 SA team, which played in Croatia. I was also part of the u-18 national side which played in Australia, in a Tri-Nations tournament.”
Commenting on the team’s ambitions in addition to having a successful tournament in Russia, Jacobs said: “The ultimate goal is to go to the Olympics; we’re working towards that as a team and it will be a first for SA if we qualify.”
Jacobs extended her gratitude to her sponsors, Rex Diff and Gearbox (RDG) for their support.
You can follow Jacobs on Twitter @waterBOKKIE1. – @SabeloBoksburg
