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African Senior Women’s Volleyball Championship: Nigeria to face Kenya in quarter-finals

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Nigeria is gearing up for a challenging encounter against an undefeated Kenyan team that emerged as the leaders of Pool B, triumphing in all five group matches and amassing a perfect 15 points.

In the quarterfinals of the ongoing 2023 African Senior Women’s Volleyball Championship in Yaounde, Cameroon, Nigeria will be pitted against Kenya.

In their most recent group stage match on Sunday at the multipurpose sports hall, Nigeria suffered a 2-3 defeat (16-25, 18-25, 25-23, 26-24, 6-15) at the hands of Algeria. Despite this loss, the team managed to secure a spot in the quarterfinals, where they will face the East African opponents.

During the group stage, the Nigerian women achieved two victories against Mali and Burundi, alongside three losses to Cameroon, Egypt, and Algeria.

Samuel Ajayi, the head coach of Nigeria’s women’s volleyball team, expressed disappointment over the loss to Algeria, particularly conceding the fifth set after battling back from a 0-2 deficit in the initial two sets to level the score at 2-2. Ajayi highlighted that the team’s focus now shifts entirely to the quarterfinals, where they will confront a formidable adversary in Kenya, the silver medalists from the 2019 African Championship in Rwanda.

Ajayi remarked, “I am not satisfied with our defeat against Algeria in the final group stage match. My players struggled in the first and second sets but regained their rhythm in the third and fourth sets. I anticipated a win in the fifth set, but we committed too many errors, enabling the Algerians to secure the first four points.”

He continued, “Our complete attention is now on the quarterfinals, where we are facing one of the top teams in the championship. Kenya displayed an unbeaten performance in their group-stage matches and boasts extensive experience with significant exposure. When Nigeria faces Kenya on Tuesday, there won’t be an overabundance of respect on the court; this could be our chance to make a significant statement in the championship.”

Indeed, Nigeria faces a formidable challenge in the upcoming match against Kenya, who dominated their group and emerged as a powerhouse with an impressive track record.

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