Wafalme Stars book Burkina Faso in African Games quarters
Wafalme Stars players celebrate a point during their African Games Zone Five qualifier against Burundi in Cairo, Egypt on January 27, 2024.
What you need to know:
- Kenya had beaten Chad 3-0 in the opening tie before they swept aside the hosts in the second match
- Kenya are favourites to win the quarter-final tie against a side that has lost all its pool matches
- Kenya coach Elisha Aliwa has asked the players to maintain sobriety
Kenya men's volleyball team, Wafalme Stars, Sunday dismissed Gambia 3-0 (25-18,25-21,28-26) to complete their Pool "A" matches unbeaten and book winless Burkina Faso in the quarter-finals of the ongoing African Games at the Methodist University of Ghana, Multipurpose Hall in Accra.
The last eight matches will be played on Wednesday at the same venue.
Kenya, who are returning to the Games having last competed in 2011 in Maputo, Mozambique where they won the bronze medal, had beaten Chad 3-0 in the opening tie before they swept aside the hosts in the second match.
Kenya are favourites to win the quarter-final tie against a side that has lost all its pool matches.
But Kenya coach Elisha Aliwa has asked the players to maintain sobriety.
"Burkina Faso has really improved and we can't afford to underrate them. We want to maintain the same gusto and hopefully, our hard work and persistence will pay off. We have two days to recover and generally, we will just be tightening the loose ends," said Aliwa, who was a setter in the team that won bronze in Maputo.
Meanwhile, Kenya women's team, Malkia Strikers will be hoping to extend their unbeaten run when they play the Democratic Republic of Congo on Monday in their third pool "B" match.
Malkia, who have recorded identical 3-0 wins against Seychelles and Nigeria will then complete the pool matches with a clash against Algeria on Tuesday.
In tennis, all Kenyan male players exited in the third round on Sunday to end their hopes of qualifying for the Olympics.
Ismael Changawa and Albert Njogu went down in the third round in men’s singles. Changawa lacked answers against Moroccan Elliot Benchetrit in the 6-3, 6-2 loss.
Njogu suffered a 6-1, 6-1 defeat at the hands of Egyptian Michael Sobhy in the second round.
Ibrahim Kibet and Kevin Cheruiyot also suffered second-round exits.
Kibet lost 6-3, 6-2 against seed no.14 Mohamed Safwat Amin Ali Mahmoud from Egypt, while 17th-seeded Cheruiyot was dismissed by 16th-seeded Leo Tyrone Nathan Matthysen (South Africa) 6-0, 6-2
