Change in schedule for Malkia Strikers in Brazil

The national women’s volleyball side Malkia Strikers have now been pencilled in to play the Brazilian national U21 team as well as Superliga B women’s outfit Sesi Sorocaba in their ongoing tour of the South American nation.

Paul Bitok’s charges have been in Brazil for three weeks now preparing for this year’s World Championships slated for September 23 to October 15 in the Netherlands and Poland.

The nine-time African champions played the first friendly of their two-month training camp this past Friday against Superliga A side Osasco Volleyball Club and were set to play the five-time Brazilian champions, who are their hosts, again this coming Friday but the game has been postponed to allow them to test their progress against new opposition.

First game

The first build-up game will be against Sesi Sorocaba on Wednesday at the Jose Liberatti Stadium in Sao Paulo, Osasco’s home court and where Malkia has been holding its training sessions.

After that, two matches against the Brazilian national juniors have been lined-up for Friday and Saturday at the national training centre for the Brazilian national volleyball teams in Saquarema, Rio de Janeiro.

Malkia will depart Sao Paulo, in the Southeast of Brazil, on Thursday and travel eight hours by road to Saquarema, Brazil’s “surfing capital” which is more than 70km East of the capital city Rio de Janeiro. The journey to Saquarema will be the first time Malkia will leave Sao Paulo since their arrival in late June.

Malkia’s stay in Brazil is courtesy of world governing body FIVB’s Empowerment Programme which was launched at the 37^th FIVB World Congress in February 2021. The Programme aims at improving the performance of national volleyball teams around the world by empowering them with the human and technical resources needed to unlock their potential. This is done by assigning teams the very best of coaches, trainers, physiotherapists and data analysts.

Brazilian coaches

Osasco club head coach Luizomar de Moura alongside his assistant Jefferson Arosti, Strength & Conditioning Trainer Marcelo Vitorino de Souza and Team Manager Roberto Opice Neto were forwarded to Kenya by the FIVB and handled the team for the first time in the build-up to the delayed 2020 Olympics in Japan.

After the conclusion of the Brazil camp, Malkia Strikers will travel to Serbia for two more friendly matches against the Eastern Europeans, who are the reigning world champions, and Colombia before heading for the world games. The two friendly matches have been made possible thanks to Mozzart Bet’s KES 10m sponsorship of the team. The betting firm is also the official sponsor of both Serbia and Colombia.

Below is the team that travelled to Brazil;

Outside Hitters – Noel Murambi, Mercy Moim, Yvonne Wavinya and Veronica Adhiambo, Meldine Sande

Middle Blockers – Belinda Barasa, Gladys Ekaru, Edith Wisa, Magdaline Mwende and Lorine Chebet

Opposite Attackers – Violet Makuto and Sharon Chepchumba

Setters – Veronica Kilabat and Emmaculate Nekesa

Liberos – Veronica Makokha and Aggripina Kundu

Coach – Paul Bitok, Assistant Coach – Japheth Munala