Kenya Pipeline left attacker Veronica Adhiambo is eager to shoulder the attacking burden in her quest to seal a permanent place in the Paul Bitok-led Malkia Strikers.
Adhiambo was jointly feted as the best attacker alongside Kenya Commercial Bank's Mercy Moim during the African Club Championship last month.
She guided the oil merchants to a bronze medal in Tunisia in her maiden appearance at the Premier club competition.
Though the quick-witted and enterprising athlete is not a complete package yet, Adhiambo feels she's ready for more responsibility in order to unlock her potential.
"I have never thought of being left out of the team since making my bow last year because I have diligently worked my way up to be in the Malkia setup," Adhiambo opened up.
"That, however, doesn't mean I am comfortable to this point. I want to have more influence on and off the field. I want to be part of this long-term project so that the coach can always count on me at any given time."
Adhiambo,22, is part of the 16-member national women's team that is currently in Brazil for High-Performance training courtesy of the Federation of International Volleyball (FIVB) partnership ahead of the World Championships.
The Siaya native made her Malkia debut last year in Rwanda during the African Nation's Championship and her performance made it impossible for the selectors to drop her for subsequent assignments. Adhiambo will hope to be part of the Malkia starting line-up when the Kenya queens take on Osasco Volleyball club in their first international friendly match on Friday, in Sao Paulo.
Adhiambo would be a libero player because of good reception but she was drawn to attack because of her unique qualities. "My reception was spot on from the beginning but I had the jump and the power to attack the ball even from tight angles."
Adhiambo launched her club career at the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) in January 2020 before switching allegiance to Pipeline late last year.
The four years at Sega Girls (2016-2019) were critical in her development and no wonder she only needed a week to adapt to the club career.
"It was easy to adjust to club life because I knew what was required of me. Mentality change was urgent, accuracy demanded and adapting to the tactics was mandatory."
Adhiambo was named Most Valuable Player during the Nandi Governor's Cup, in November last year.
