The Kenya Volleyball Federation National League enters its climax next week when the 2021/22 end of season play-offs get underway at the Moi International Sports Centre in Kasarani, Nairobi on 20-22 January 2023.
The three-day competition will mark the end of the 2021/22 season that was initially set to end in June 2022 but was delayed due to the Kenya women’s national team’s - aka the Malkia Strikers - High Performance Training camp in Brazil in preparation for the FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship 2022.
The Malkia Strikers trained in São Paulo, Brazil for three months under elite Brazilian coaches as part of the FIVB Volleyball Empowerment programme. The team went on to register its best ever finish (19th out of 24) at the World Championship.
On Friday 20 January, the majority of national team players will don the jerseys of their respective clubs as they battle for the Kenyan league title at the historic Kasarani arena.
The top four clubs at the end of the regular season - defending champions Kenya Prisons Service (KPS), Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB), Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC), and Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) - will go head-to-head in the competition which will be played in a round-robin format over three days.
KPC will start as favourites after going unbeaten in the regular season. Pipeline, led by national team stars Gladys Ekaru and Aggripina Kundu, will be looking to stamp their authority early on with a victory over Prisons in their opening match on Friday.
Kenya Pipeline Company’s (KPC’s) Gladys Ekaru on the attack
Coach Paul Gitau will also bank on youngsters Miriam Chelimo and Daisy Chepkorir to continue filling the shoes of national team players Noel Murambi, Veronica Adhiambo and Violet Makuto, who landed professional deals abroad after impressing at the World Championship.
Meanwhile, KCB, the African Clubs champions, will play dark horses DCI on day one of the competition. The Bankers will count on the experience of the evergreen national team captain Mercy Moim, captain Edith Wisa and setter Emmaculate Nekesa who enjoyed a break-out campaign at the World Championships. In the absence of star opposite Sharon Chepchumba, who signed for Greek club Aris after the World Championship, KCB head coach Japheth Munala is expected to promote youngster Mariam Musa to his first team.
KPS coach Josp Barasa will hope the national team pair of Yvonne Wavinya and Lorine Chebet inspires his depleted side on his mission to defend the title they have won for three consecutive years. The experienced Prackcides Agala will as usual be relied upon for leadership.
Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) team head into the play-offs as underdogs
DCI will look to shake off the underdogs tag with an upset of their own, but new signings Jemimah Siang’u and Caroline Sirengo will shoulder most of the responsibility. Coach Daniel Bor is optimistic that the recent graduation of his players as police officers will lift the mood in the DCI camp.
The team with the highest points from three matches will be crowned champions at the end of the play-offs on Sunday 22 January.
FIXTURES (all times GMT)
Friday 20 January
KPC vs KPS 0900hrs
KCB vs DCI 1200hrs
Saturday 21 January
KCB vs KPS 0900 hrs
DCI vs KPC 1200 hrs
Sunday 22 January
KPS vs DCI 0900 hrs
KPC vs KCB 1200 hrs
Source : fivb.com
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