Malkia Strikers started their African Nations Volleyball Championship campaign on an impressive note after dispatching Rwanda in straight sets on Wednesday, August 16, 2023, in Cameroon.

The opening win for Malkia Strikers is vital as Kenya hope to win their 10th African title. This was the second immediate meeting between Kenya and Rwanda, as the two nations had met before in a friendly match before the tournament that is being held in Yaounde.

Meanwhile, Rwanda won the opening point, but Kenya recovered from the early setback to go ahead 8-4 before stretching the lead to 11-5.

Rwanda’s straight points

Rwanda claimed two back-to-back points from the services that ended up on the net, and this meant that Kenya’s lead was reduced to 14–12. Malkia Strikers, after calling for a timeout, came back strong and extended the lead to 18–13, forcing their pool opponents to make changes as Iris Ndagijimana and Valentine Munerezo were pulled out.

At the time Rwanda made the changes, Kenya were in the lead with 23 points before winning the first set 25-16.

In the second set, Rwanda claimed the opening points against an unchanged Kenyan side. Malkia Strikers kept matching, but Rwanda were also resilient as they pegged their opponents back to have the scoreline at 8-8, with Olive Nzamukosha an inspirational figure. 

Rwanda went ahead to lead 13-11, and Kenya called for a timeout that proved vital in the process and eventually reclaimed the lead. Rwanda were not giving up and fought to see the points equal at 18. Malkia Strikers stood firm despite the resilient opponent and stretched the lead to 23-18 before winning the set 25-20.

Moim, coach sentiments

Unlike in the previous sets, Kenya claimed the first points in the third one as they took a 5-0 lead. They kept their nerves and eventually won the set with 25–17 points.

“For the opening match, I am impressed with the performance. I had to make changes in the lineup today and have more experienced players in the lineup, and that worked for us.

“I am confident the players will grow into this competition, and the performance can only get better,” Luizomar de Moura, Kenya’s coach, said after the match, as quoted by a local publication.

On her part, Captain Mercy Moim singled out the payers who were outstanding for them. However, she also explained what let them down despite beating Rwanda.

“We knew Rwanda would change their formation after playing us in a friendly, so we came prepared. Those called upon played well, especially [Loice] Simiyu, who had to come in for the injured [Sharon] Chepchumba, and [Trizah] Atuka, who is returning after a long time away from the team. 

“Reception was problematic in the second set, and I can pin it to poor lighting in the gymnasium and having not trained in this facility during our buildup. However, that is no excuse; we have to adjust and do better in the upcoming fixtures,” Moim said.