After being spotted by netball head coach, Jenny van Dyk, she was offered a scholarship at the University of Pretoria and subsequently earned a Masters in Education.

[15][19][24][25][26] Her team mates at Storm included fellow South Africa netball international, Sigrid Burger.

[29][30] Between 2019 and 2021, van der Merwe played for Adelaide Thunderbirds, making 36 Suncorp Super Netball appearances.

[33][34] Her team mates at Thunderbirds included fellow South Africa netball international, Lenize Potgieter.

[41][42][43] In 2024, van der Merwe was a member of the Thunder team that finished as runners-up, losing 70–54 to Loughborough Lightning in the grand final.

[44][45] In September 2024, van der Merwe was named as a member the Loughborough Lightning squad for the 2025 Netball Superleague season.

[46] In 2013, van der Merwe was a member of a South Africa Invitational team that won the 2013 Diamond Challenge.

[1][4][9][25][48] However, she missed out on selection for the 2015 Netball World Cup and, after suffering an ACL injury, she struggled to regain her place in the national team.

[55][56] At the same tournament, van der Merwe earned her 50th test cap for South Africa in a match against Jamaica.