Kenyans in high spirits after African club success
04/28/2006
Tokyo, April 28, 2006 -- Buoyed by their good performance at the recent
African Club Cup in Mauritius, Kenya's women's team is aiming for a top-10
finish at this year's World Championships in Japan.
Kenya Commercial Bank won the title, beating Egypt's Al Ahly 3-2 in a
two-hour final, and Kenya Pipeline, the defending champions, finished third
after losing to KCB in the semi-finals.
"By finishing first and third we have affirmed our position as Africa's
leading women's volleyball-playing nation," said newly elected Kenya
Volleyball Federation secretary general Dan Wanyama.
"This gives us a reason to aim for a better performance in Japan," he
added. "There is no doubt the majority of the national team players will be
drawn from Pipeline and KCB, and we shall be aiming to go beyond the first
round in Japan."
In the World Championships, Kenya is in Pool A alongside Korea, Poland,
Chinese Taipei, Japan and Costa Rica.
According to the latest FIVB women's world rankings, Kenya is placed 12th,
higher than both Chinese Taipei (23rd) and Costa Rica (33rd).
"On paper we should be able to beat those two and make it to the second
round," said Wanyama.
"It is a long shot but we have to defend our ranking, which means we
should aim to finish in the top 10 at the World Championships."
The Kenya Volleyball Federation has come up with a comprehensive training
programme for the team ahead of the Worlds.
"We need to train the girls well, both at home and abroad if we are to
achieve our targets," said Wanyama, a Nairobi banker and former volleyball
player.
Home training includes a proposed four-nation tournament in Nairobi in July
involving Egypt, Cameroon and Nigeria, and Kenya also hopes to have build-up
matches in Cuba or Turkey in August, as well as holding a training camp in
Japan a couple of weeks before the World Championships start on October 31.
"It is an expensive affair but we are determined to raise funds for it,"
said Wanyama.
The secretary general said they had a Sh 15 million (US$ 200,000) budget
for the exercise, and thanked the FIVB through President Ruben Acosta and
the organisers for covering the costs of airfares and accommodation.
"It is a gesture that we must reciprocate through playing well in Japan,"
added Wanyama.
Kenyan clubs have won the African women's title a record 18 times since
1985 and now feel it is time to make an impression on the world stage. The
national team has won the African title six times since 1980.
Pipeline's Catherine Wanjiru was voted the best spiker in Mauritius, with
KCB's Jackline Barasa taking Best Blocker honours. Best Receiver was Mercy
Wesutila of KCB.
(Finny Muyeshi, Press Officer, Kenya Volleyball Federation)
