NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 2 – Former African champions Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) were forced to work extra hard by Kenya Prisons before winning their opening game at the Kenya Volleyball Federation (KVF) national league play-offs at the Kasarani Stadium on Saturday.
Prisons twice came from a set down to tie the game at 2-2 before the bankers managed to hold their nerve and win the tie breaker 15-12.
“It was a very tough game because Prisons is a very experienced side while most of my girls are young and without a lot of experience. But we didn’t give up especially the fifth set. I am happy we won against them,” head coach Japheth Munala told Capital Sports after the game.
On what he did to ensure his side emerged victorious; “They realized that we had some weakness on the left side and were using that a lot. In the fifth set we had to change and bring some more defense on that side and it worked well for us.”
KCB had started off well and won the opening set convincingly, 25-18. They had maintained a six point gap since the start and even when Prisons called in a time out at 21-15, they couldn’t change much.
In the second set though, Prisons tightened their blocks and they managed to go toe to toe with KCB from the start. At 17-17, Munala knew that his side was in for a tough ride and he called a time out.
However, it was KCB who continued with their scoring spree, going on a 3-0 run. A service error each from both sides didn’t help nerves as the bankers hung in for dear life, but Pamela Jepkurui’s strong hit across the court handed Prisons the set, 25-22.
Munala managed to steady the ship in the third set skipper Mercy Moim and youngster Terry Malyn doing the most in attack, KCB easily winning 25-10.
It seemed as though the bankers were comfortably cruising heading into the fourth set, which they only needed to win to wrap up the game.
But once again, Prisons rose from their slumber and once again took the bankers toe to toe. At 22-22 up, Prisons coach Josp Baraza called for a time out and whatever he told the girls seemed to work as they came back to knock down two quick points to go 24-22. But once again, KCB clawed back the two points to take the score to 24-24, before a two point run saw Prisons take the set 26-24 and force the game to a tie breaker.
Once again, it was Munala’s men who would learn quick and they made no mistakes in the decider, despite scores being close.
Earlier on, holders Pipeline beat DCI three sets to one, surviving a series of scares.
