Yaounde, Cameroon | Kenya’s Under-20 women’s volleyball team, the Junior Malkia Strikers, suffered a 3-1 defeat to host Cameroon in a tightly contested match at the ongoing CAVB Africa U20 Volleyball Championship.
Despite a promising start, Kenya could not sustain the momentum, ending in four sets 25-18, 18-25, 19-25, 25-27.
The Kenyan side began strongly, dominating the first set with smart serves and quick transitions that unsettled the Cameroonian defence. However, lapses in back-court defence and inconsistent reception proved costly as Cameroon found their rhythm in the second and third sets.
The fourth set presented Kenya with two clear opportunities to take the match to a decisive fifth set. However, they failed to convert those chances, sending the ball out of play during a critical rally.
Head Coach Jackline Barasa acknowledged the team’s shortcomings in post-match reflections.
“We had chances to force a fifth set, but we didn’t execute under pressure. Our reception was shaky, our blocking was weak, and our back-court coverage needs to improve,” she said.
Kenya will now turn their attention to a key regional face-off against our neighbours Uganda, set for today at 2:00 PM.
“Uganda is also a good team, and we don’t underestimate them.” Coach Barasa added. “But we plan to capitalise on our tough serves and attack. We’ve taken the lessons, and we’re ready to bounce back strong”.
With qualification hopes still alive, the encounter is a must-win for the Junior Malkia Strikers.
