Kenya national volleyball team celebrates after winning the Women's
Africa Nations Volleyball championship against Algeria at Safaricom
Indoor Arena in Nairobi on 20th June 2015 . PHOTO | MARTIN MUKANGU |
NATION
Kenya safely navigated through a couple of challenges from
Algeria to claim a record ninth continental women volleyball crown,
following an exciting contest at the Safaricom Indoor Arena in Nairobi
on Saturday.
This result, a 3-0 sets triumph of 25-17,
25-21 and 25-18 scores, consequently guaranteed Kenya an unprecedented
third qualification to the FIVB World Cup set for Japan in September.
In
a curtain raiser match played earlier at the same venue, Cameroon edged
Senegal 3-2 (25-19, 23-25, 14-25, 25-13 and 17-15) to claim third
place.
The National Oil-sponsored Kenya side also grabbed a majority of the individual awards at the ten-day event.
Everylne
Makuto was voted the tournament's most valuable player (MVP), Janet
Wanja (best setter), Ruth Jepngetich (best blocker), and Elizabeth
Wanyama (best libero).
"We fought hard for all this, God is great," Makuto said.
Senegal's Fatou Diock was voted the best attacker with the best receiver’s award taken by Algeria's Basokou Abrouche.
"Kenya now holds all the volleyball records on the continent," the public announcer explained during the medal ceremony.
The
82 minute finale was played out before an estimated 7,000 expectant
crowd that had squeezed in to the 5,000 facility that included Sports CS
Hassan Wario.
David Lung'aho's charges encountered
nervy moments especially in the final set when the North Africans,
powered on by Mezmate Aicha and Oukazi Fatima accumulated an 18-14 lead
and threatened to clinch the set.
It took the technical
bench's intervention, and the subsequent introduction of Jane Wanja and
Triza Atuka to salvage the situation.
"I think that
Kenya is too much for us now, I was missing two dependable players but
still we cannot dislodge them for at least the next one year," Algeria's
Italian coach François Salvagni said.