Kenya’s Malkia Strikers showed their class as the top-ranked African women’s volleyball team with a 3-0 (25-10, 25-09, 25-10) drubbing of Burkina Faso in a one-sided clash at the Palais Polyvalent des Sports arena in Yaounde, Cameroon on Thursday.
For the first time in the championship and in his reign, coach Luizomar de Moura used all 14 of his players in the match, including Sharon Chepchumba who is on the recovery trail after suffering a slight injury scare a day to the competition.
The tactician started with the same squad that did duty against Rwanda in the opener, albeit for a short while as Chepchumba was introduced as the first substitute moments into the first set.
At the end of the match, it was the dominant Kenyan side that walked away with maximum points.
“These two wins are a good build up for the tougher matches we are set to face as the competition advances. The competition is shaping up well and we are looking to perform even better.
“Having everyone in action in today’s game was also a good thing as now the coach can tell where to play everyone depending on the situation where their help is needed. It was also a morale booster to the team,” said middle blocker Edith Wisah in an interview.
On the returning Chepchumba, who missed the opener against Rwanda, Wisah says her inclusion gives the team confidence that she will be ready to feature as the competition advances.
Meanwhile, assistant coach Paul Bitok was full of praise for the second team that came in and got the job done, proving themselves capable of doing more.
“We are happy with the performance. This match was our opportunity to test the team B players and I am proud of the display.
“We are playing many matches without a break and squad rotation was important. It helped us rest the key players as we anticipate tougher matches in the knock-out stage,” Bitok offered.
Malkia Strikers are ranked first in Pool ‘B’ with six points after two matches and face Uganda tomorrow at 3pm EAT.
