It will be all an all Kenya affair in the quarterfinal of the women’s African Volleyball Club championship as Kenya Pipeline face rivals Kenya Prisons on Thursday in Monastir, Tunisia.
Kenya Prisons, the five time African champions needed a victory in their final group match against University of Zimbabwe to secure a last eight berth. They did in emphatic fashion.
In this match, the Kenyan side dispatched the students in straight sets of (25-15, 25-7, 25-9) to finish second in Pool B behind record winners Al Ahly of Egypt who beat them in the first match.
Kenya Pipeline had already qualified for the last eight by the time they confronted Cameroon’s Bafia in their last group match on Tuesday.
They warmed up for the knockout stage by easily beating Bafia 3-0 (25-15, 25-7, 25-14) to cement their top spot in Pool C.
In the quartefinals, it will be a battle of two celebrity setters. Jane Wacu who turns up for Kenya Prisons had a controversial transfer to Kenya Pipeline two days after the Kenya Volleyball Federation deadline reverted.
Wacu was ineligible to switch teams
She was ineligible to switch sides thus travelled to Tunisia with the wardresses. She will come up against veteran Janet Wanja from Kenya Pipeline who along with Wacu have been instrumental for their teams in the competition.
Kenya Prisons will rely on the experience of Bracksides Agala who captained the national team and Evelyn Makuto.
They also have young gun Yvonne Wavinya who was a star player for the national women’s under-23 side during the continental championships in 2016.
Kenya Pipeline have won the continental title seven times. This was in 1995, 1996, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2004, and 2005.
The defending KVF league champions have left attacker and captain Triza Atuka as their main player. Also in the fold is Noel Murambi, a vicious hitter and also the vice captain of the senior women’s national team.
According to the competition structure the winner of this Kenyan duel will avoid favourites and defending champions in the semi-finals Al Ahly should they progress.
The Egyptians face GS Petroliers from Algeria in a North African derby.
Tuesday results
Ndejje (Uganda) v INJS (Cameroon) 2-3 (19-25, 25-20, 25-19, 21-25, 15-11) (Pool A)
Kenya Prisons v University of Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe) 3-0 (25-15, 25-7, 25-9), Al Ahly (Egypt) v Bejaia (Algeria) 3-0 (25-14- 25-22, 25-16) (Pool B);
Kenya Pipeline v Bafia (Cameroon) 3-0 (25-15, 25-7, 25-14) (Pool C);
ARSU (Seychelles) v FAP (Cameroon) 2-3 (25-18, 23-25, 28-30, 26-24, 6-15) (Pool D)
Quarterfinal matches-Thursday
Carthage (Tunisia) v Sfaxien (Tunisia), Shams (Egypt) v Injis (Cameroon),Al Ahly (Egypt) v GS Petroliers (Algeria), Kenya Pipeline v Kenya Prisons.
Positional matches (nine to 16): Ndejje (Uganda) v ARSU (Seychelles), FAP (Cameroon) v Asec Mimosas (Ivory Coast), Marsa (Tunisia) v Bafia (Cameroon), APR (Rwanda) v Bejaia (Algeria).
