Nagoya, Japan, November 6, 2006: Two Pool A teams were not on the bullet train from Tokyo to Nagoya on Monday for the second round.
Both Costa Rica and Kenya were heading for home -- and with entirely different feelings.
The Ticas had a smile on their face after winning one match on their World Championship debut, despite their FIVB world ranking of 33 being the lowest of all 24 teams.
The Kenyans, on the other hand, were shattered after losing all five matches in their fourth appearance when they felt they had a genuine chance of winning two and qualifying for the second round.
The speed and mobility of Asian trio Chinese Taipei, Japan and Korea had been too much for them to handle, as had the height and power of the experienced Poles.
But the Ticas looked on the bright side.
"This is our first World Championship and I know that many people did not expect much from us, did not expect us to win a game, but we are happy because we won a game," said Costa Rica's captain Verania Willis.
"We have to still work more and need to have more international games, but we do not have many people to help us and sponsor us to go to other countries to play big teams like we have played here.
"Many of us practice and study or work, so we are not full-time players and we are not paid for playing like we should be. We are doing it from the heart because we really like volleyball, and we have really enjoyed being here. We are going home and we have won one game. We are happy with that."
Verania and her older sister Angela have both played collegiate volleyball in the United States, and this experience showed throughout the tournament.
But several other Costa Rica players made their mark, too, such as the lively Karen Cope, who turned 21 on November 6 and has a bright future. Weighing only 53 kgs and standing 1.73 metres, Cope dazzled in defence and attack, as did setter Onika Pinnock, while middle blockers Paola Ramirez and Johanna Moore made rivals work hard for their points.
The Kenyans, however, will feel they are back to square one. They led Costa Rica by two sets and had four match points in the fourth set before losing it 32-30 and then the tie-break 15-9 to let what seemed certain victory slip away.
The mood of the Kenyans was summed up by 35-year-old captain Dorcas Ndasaba, who took the opportunity of an official post-match press conference to personally thank Japanese head coach Sadatoshi Sugawara for his work with the team.
Ndasaba, who said Sugawara had been like her father as well as coach, was clearly distraught the Kenyans could not win a match for him.
"I have to be proud of Sugawara-san," she said to conclude an emotional tribute. "He came to Kenya and supported me, and taught me how to receive and take off and spike. Then he took me to train in Japan and I was able to play as a professional in Croatia, Turkey and Egypt.
"Even now in Kenya people say to me, 'who coached you? I want them to coach me, too!'"
Sugawara's on-off association with Kenya goes back to the 1995 World Cup in Japan and also the 2000 Sydney Olympics, and another short-term contract ended with the 2006 World Championships.
With Sugawara on the bench, the Kenyans enjoyed strong support from the Japanese fans, and showed plenty of fire in attack with Ndasaba, Doris Palang'a, Catherine Wanjiru and the highly promising Lydiah Maiyo, who turned 18 on November 3.
Middle blockers Jacky Barasa, Leonidas Kamende and Brackcides Khadambi all had their moments at the net, and libero Judith Tarus was outstanding.
