The Pulse's rollercoaster ride began with a patchy first quarter, as they struggled with their timing and links into the shooting circle.
Ahead 15-10 after 15 minutes, it looked like the Swifts would run away with the match. But the Pulse regrouped, found some rhythm and finally started to let the ball go into the circle.
They took the second quarter 11-9, enough to rattle the Swifts' composure and cut back their halftime lead to just three at 24-21.
Swifts coach Julie Fitzgerald reshuffled her team at the break, moving Kimberlee Green from wing attack to centre and bringing on Vanessa Ware to shore up the midcourt.
A defensive reshuffle also saw Mo'onia Gerrard moved to from goal defence to the wing, while Rebecca Bulley slotted in to partner goal keep Sonia Mkoloma in the circle.
The result was encouraging, and the Swifts took the spell 13-9 to go into the three-quarter break with a 37-30 lead.
The Pulse continued to fight, and won the final 15 minutes 13-11, struggled to retain enough possession to secure the win.
In a match which never really flowed, both teams were guilty of turning over possession too easily. In the end, it was the coolness of the Swifts shooters which proved pivotal.
Goal shoot Catherine Cox was less than impressive with 23 from 32 for a 71 percent success rate, but Susan Pratley managed the best statistics of the game with 86 percent, converting 25 of her 29 attempts.
The Swifts overall 79 percent success rate would not have pleased coach Fitzgerald, but it was more than enough to better the Pulse's substandard 70 percent.
Young Pulse goal attack Amber Bellringer was given a particularly torrid time by the uncompromising Gerrard, one of the league's most experienced and wily defenders.
The 20-year-old's discomfiture showed in her shooting statistics -- at halftime she was stalled on 41 percent, having sunk just five from 12 attempts.
Things improved only slightly in the third quarter, and she was benched for the final 15 minutes with statistics of eight from 15 at 53 percent. Replacement Te Amo Amaru Tibble fared only slightly better, sinking two from three, while Caitlin Thwaites' 33 from 42 saw her stalled on 78 percent.
