Volleyball League: Trailblazers dim KPA's play-off chances
Administration Police of Kenya's Amon Kemboi block an attack from GSU's Bonfentry Wekesa during their Kenya Volleyball Federation men's Premier League match at Nyayo National Stadium on May 27, 2023.
What you need to know:
- Trailblazers held their nerve to win 3-2 (25-20, 25-19,13-25, 22-25 and 15-12) in the contest.
- KPA, who are fresh from participating in the just concluded African Clubs Championship in Tunisia, had to come from two sets down to earn one point at the Nyayo National Stadium, Nairobi.
Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) coach Sammy Mulinge on Saturday said his team may struggle to qualify for the play-offs after a stunning loss to Trailblazers in a league match at Nyayo.
Trailblazers held their nerve to win 3-2 (25-20, 25-19,13-25, 22-25 and 15-12) in the contest.
KPA, who are fresh from participating in the just concluded African Clubs Championship in Tunisia, had to come from two sets down to earn one point at the Nyayo National Stadium, Nairobi.
The dockers finished seventh in the event that Mouloudia Sportive De Bou Salem of Tunisia won after beating Zamalek Sporting Club of Egypt 3-2.
Mulinge said they have to put together a string of wins if they want to qualify for the post-season.
At the end of regular season, the top four teams book tickets to the play-offs.
“The loss has dented our chances. We have tricky matches against defending champions General Service Unit and former champions Kenya Prisons among other unpredictable sides. Our play-offs route is tough but we will hold onto the slim chances and see what happens,” said Mulinge, who doubles up national women’s beach volleyball coach.
“We had just arrived in the country from Tunisia and the players have not recovered but they (KVF) had the fixtures scheduled. We had no choice but to honour the matches despite the jet lag,” he added.
Trailblazers coach Geoffrey Omondi said that the players had a scrappy match but he was happy with the two points.
“We are not where we ought to be but we are gradually getting there. At this point in the league, we just have to win our matches. We don’t want to be in a situation where we have to rely on our opponents performance to dictate our position when the regular season comes to the end,” said Omondi.
Trailblazers win moved them to sixth with 19 points from 11 matches, while KPA remained eighth with 14 points from nine matches.
Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) lead the standings with 28 points from 11 matches, while Kenya Prisons - who were not in action this weekend - are second with 27 points. General Service Unit (GSU) are third with 26 points from nine matches.
KDF will play Administration Police of Kenya (APK) on Sunday while GSU have a date with Equity Bank.
In the other match played at the same venue, GSU laboured to beat much-improved APK 3-2 (25-22,22-25,25-17,22-25,15-9).
Fixtures
Sunday
AP v KDF 9am
GSU v Equity 11am
