The University of Canberra sevens side is set to be bolstered by the addition of Australian skipper Sharni Williams, but the veteran star may only play a role as a mentor when the series moves to the capital.
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Canberra regrouped after a day-one fade to win two of their three games in Hobart on Sunday, finishing fifth of 10 teams at the opening weekend of the national tournament.
Canberra will host the next round on September 8-9 and Williams is expected to join the squad. Her availability to play will depend on training duties for the Australian side before the world series restarts.
Coach Dave Grimmond was confident the momentum gained in Tasmania would give his team a chance to be a contender when they host for the first time.
"The girls really started to gel in the last couple of games. We hadn't played a lot of footy together before this weekend because of grand finals and commitments in other sports," Grimmond said.
"We're starting to kick some goals now. The momentum was good and the attitude follows that. We got a bit of cohesion and putting that together was a really big bonus for us."
Canberra's confidence took a major hit when they were bundled out of title contention on the opening day, losing games to Bond University and Griffith University.
There were fears day two would go the same way when one mistake opened the door for the University of Sydney to snatch a 12-7 win in the first match on Sunday.
But Canberra finally clicked into gear off the back off some impressive play from United States star Abby Gustaitis, Yasmin Meakes and Paremo Marsh.
They beat the University of Adelaide 27-0 and then secured fifth spot with a 25-12 win against the University of Tasmania.
"This is a cruel game. You can go from a winning position to a losing one very quickly," Grimmond said.
"Abby Gustaitis was brilliant as a leader, as was Yasmin Meakes. The more time Yasmin got, the better she got.
"Being at home for the next one puts a bit more pressure on, too. But we've got a chance to work on our team to gel together and be on the improve."
AT A GLANCE
Sunday: Sydney University 12 bt University of Canberra 7; University of Canberra 27 bt University of Adelaide 0; University of Canberra 25 bt University of Tasmania 12.
ROUND TWO
September 8-9: Games will be played at the University of Canberra.
