Veronica Adhiambo, who hails from Kamrembo Siwandhe, a small village in Ugenya, Siaya County, situated in Western Kenya, never thought of pursuing a career in volleyball during her childhood days.
She was initially a good football player but was convinced by her teacher to try out volleyball, and her first touch of the ball was a serve which she kicked with her feet over the net, but has come a long way since then.
The 23-year-old volleyball player, has taken the Turkish second-tier league by storm after joining Tarsus Belediyespor.
She had impressed at the FIVB Women’s World Championship 2022, scoring 50 points to become Kenya’s second-best scorer.
Although her team finished ninth on the 12-team league with 26 points, Adhiambo considers it a great learning curve.
Adhiambo’s breakthrough at the national team arrived at last year’s FIVB World Championship where she featured in all of Kenya’s five Pool A matches, thrice as a starter.
Her first start in national team colours was a memorable one as she scored 12 points in the 3-0 win over rivals Cameroon.
She performed well against Volleyball Nations League (VNL) champions Italy and contributed eight points.
A Most Valuable Player (MVP) performance of 22 points against Puerto Rico from Adhiambo ensured Kenya claimed a set despite losing to the North Americans and missing out on the second round altogether.
Kenya’s 10 week-camp in Brazil helped Adhiambo refine her game, and she left as a different player. The strength training helped improve her jump and made her less prone to injuries.
Playing quality friendly matches every week also improved her attack and boosted her confidence.
Adhiambo has taken advantage of this newfound confidence to establish herself as one of the youngest players in the team, and she believes she is ready for the top league.
As a professional player, Adhiambo believes that being a part of a team has given her the opportunity to provide solutions by scoring in crucial moments. This has helped her mature quickly.
She plays both as an opposite and outside hitter at her club and is eager to win her first trophy with the Malkia Strikers at this year’s Africa Nations Championship after losing the 2021 final to Cameroon, and to then focus on qualifying for the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
She is confident in the team’s quality and believes that focus and hard work will get them to Paris.
credit: @fivb.com
