The Kenyan women’s volleyball team, Malkia Strikers, have signed off their FIVB World Volleyball Championship on a winning note by thrashing Vietnam 3-0 this Wednesday, August 27, 2025, in the ongoing games in Thailand.

Geoffrey Omondi’s team got eliminated from the tournament following two straight defeats but responded in style to overpower the Asian ladies for their first win in Group G.

The clash at the 4000-seater Saphan Hin Stadium in Phuket ended with the Kenyan taking the sets on 25-23, 25-22, and 25-18, respectively.

Following the second group loss to Poland on Monday, August 25, 2025, Omondi’s message was clear that her charges needed to sign off perfectly, and the girls heeded it.

Response

Kenya, captained by Meldina Sande and vice-skipper Gladsy Ekaru showed sharp reactions and good offense to narrowly edge the first set on a two-set margin.

The record African champions built on the gained momentum and made it a successive set won by bagging set two on 25-22.

A largely one-sided final set saw the ladies wrap the encounter with an emphatic 25-18.

Preparations

The win saw Kenya’s rank as volleyball queenns bright spot of a campaign that was threatened to be derailed by last minute challenges.

A day before their opening game against Germany on Saturday, August 22, 2025, the players came out to complain about delayed allowances, even after they met Sports Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya, who assured them that their money would be paid in due course, a promise that has remained unfulfilled for weeks.

The development saw the team seek the president’s intervention, coming at a time when Ruto had been hugely involved in motivating the Harambee Stars team participating in the ongoing African Nations Championship games in Kenya.

Their campaign got off on the wrong footing, succumbing to a 3-0 set defeat to Germany on Saturday, August 23, 2025. The African champions were undone by a costly dip in the second set as Germany steamrolled them in a one-sided encounter, winning the set 25-8.

Against Poland, Kenya failed to make count of a second-set resurgence, losing 3-1 against the world’s No. 3.