Pipeline reach quarters at Club Championships
Ten straight serves from internationals Janet Wanja on Saturday enabled Kenya Pipeline to romp into the quarter finals of the women’s volleyball Africa Club Championships in Egypt.
The setter earned her team a good ten points in the first set while right attacker Noel Murambi accounted for 12 more points in the second set as the Kenyan representatives beat Botswana’s Kutlwano 3-0 at the October Stadium in Cairo.
Meanwhile, in Saturday’s late match at the same venue the other Kenyan team in the competition, Kenya Commercial Bank, went down 3-0 to defending champions GS Petroliers of Algeria in their opening match of Pool B.
The other team in Pool B is multiple tournament winners Al Ahly of Egypt.
Pipeline were more clinical in their match having given away a set in their opening match against FAP of Cameroon for a 3-1 win on Friday evening.
PERFECT RECORD
The Kenyan girls started off with a 25-11 victory in the first set. A fiery Noel Murambi then shone in the subsequent set where she unleashed powerful spikes as Pipeline overwhelmed their opponent with a 25-4 score.
Coach Japheth Munala then allowed up starter Mildred Oduko to play as the libero as Pipeline sealed victory with a 25-13 win in the final set and with it a place in the quarter finals on a perfect record.
Wanja told Nairobi News that although she was happy with the win, the team had not played its best and that there is more work to be done before their quarter finals match next week.
“The game was tough and we did not play to our level best. We were just lucky that our opponents made several mistakes and I hope that we shall improve our game,” Wanja said.