Yaounde, Cameroon | The Junior Malkia Strikers are preparing for a crucial semifinal match against Egypt today (Sunday) at the 2025 Women’s U20 African Nations Volleyball Championship in Yaoundé, Cameroon. The championship, running from August 4 to August 11,2025, has showcased the best young volleyball talent across Africa.
Kenya’s young team will face Egypt at 6 PM in what promises to be a thrilling game. This will be a rematch of their earlier meeting in the tournament, where Kenya won 3-1 with set scores of 25-21, 31-33, 25-19, and 25-21. That victory has given the team great confidence as they aim for a spot in the final.
Captain Terry Tata has been a standout player throughout the tournament. She earned the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award in Kenya’s matches against Senegal, Uganda, and Egypt. Her strong leadership and skilful play have been key to Kenya’s success. Another key player, Eddah Jepkemei, impressed in the last preliminary match against Burundi, helping Kenya to a straight-sets win (25-8, 25-17, 25-13) and earning the MVP award for that match.
Kenya’s journey in the championship has had its highs and lows. The team started strongly by beating Senegal 3-0 (25-13, 25-12, 25-11). They then suffered a tough 3-1 loss to host Cameroon, scoring 25-18, 18-25, 19-25, and 27-25. But the Junior Malkia Strikers quickly recovered with solid wins over Uganda (3-0: 25-14, 25-16, 25-15) and Burundi (3-0: 25-8, 25-17, 25-13) to secure their place in the semifinals.
Egypt has also shown strong performances, beating Uganda 3-0 (25-18, 25-19, 25-17), Burundi 3-0 (25-6,25-13,25-11) and Cameroon 3-1 (25-17, 15-25, 19-25, 25-20). Earlier in the tournament, Egypt defeated Senegal 3-1 with set scores of 25-13, 25-8, 23-25, and 25-13, demonstrating their strength and momentum heading into the semifinals.
When asked about the rematch against Egypt, Coach Jackline Barasa said, “My feeling is that we will win again. Our focus will be on strong blocking, solid back defence, and delivering tough attacks from our side.”
The winner of the Kenya vs. Egypt semifinal will face either Cameroon or Senegal in the final, scheduled for Monday, August 11, 2025, at the Yaoundé Palais des Sports. The Cameroon vs. Senegal semifinal will be played at 8 PM on Sunday.
Earlier on Sunday, Uganda and Burundi will play a classification match at 2 PM.
Barasa and his emerging stars will look for the inspiration of Captain Terry Tata, who has been an inspirational figure in the tournament. The KCB player has won three Most Valuable Player accolades in Kenya’s preliminary games and will be a crucial figure in extending the team’s cruising form against Egypt.
The top three finishers earning tickets to the 2026 World Championships.
