Kenya’s volleyball queens hit Cameroon to reach final
Kenya stormed into the final of the Women’s Volleyball Africa Nations Championships, after securing a straights sets triumph over a hard fighting Cameroon in an entertaining semi final contest at the Safaricom Indoor Arena on Wednesday evening.
The 3-0 (25-22, 25-14, 25-22) victory set up a date for Kenya in the final against Algeria in a rematch of a Pool A tie which the hosts won 3-0.
Kenya Prisons duo of Brackides Agala and Jane Wacu led Kenya’s onslaught with able back up from Mercy Moim, Elizabeth Wanyama and Everlyne Makuto.
“The errors we made in the opening set cost as the game against the best team in the continent,” Cameroon coach Jean Akono Rene said.
Rene’s team led 8-5 and then 18-15 in the opening set, thanks to impressive attacks from Helen Mbenga and Juliana Amala.
It required a tactical switch by coach David Lung’aho, who brought in service specialist, Janet Wanja, to salvage the set for Kenya. So far Kenya is yet to concede a set in the four games they have played in the tournament.
GREAT CHARACTER
In the second and third set, Cameroon lost their physically and mentally strength allowing the likes of reserves Ruth Jepngetich and Esther Wangeci to come on and run the show.
“The team exhibited great character in today’s match which was in my opinion the toughest of the competition,” Wanja said.
In the other semi-final match, Algeria’s Kahina Abrouche was instrumental in her team’s 3-0 (25-17, 25-14, 25-22) win over Senegal in a one sided contest.
Abrouche, 23, boasted 8 spikes and a block enroute to demolishing the Senegalese who failed to recover from an embarrassing nine point deficit in the second set.
“Kenya is a difficult question to answer right now, but we hope for the best against them on Saturday,” Abrouche offered.
The guaranteed the North Africans of a second successive final appearance after their exploits of 2011 and 2017, and in the process a stab at a second ever continental title.