Kenya Pipeline coach Paul Gitau believes his charges have what it takes to win the Africa Volleyball Confederation (CAVB) Zone V Club Championship title in Kigali, Rwanda.
The week-long competition which serves off on November 14, will see the women's matches played in a round-robin format owing to the small number of teams.
Rwanda National Police, Rwanda Revenue Authority and Armée Patriotique Rwandaise, are the three Rwandan clubs in the competition.
Kampala City Council Authority is the only Ugandan team in the competition while Tanzania gave the tournament a wide berth.
Gitau, who guided Pipeline to the Kenya Volleyball Federation league title in January this year, added that the format of play will enable the players to play many matches and gain more experience on the international stage.
"The round-robbin format is better compared to placing five teams into two pools. We cannot have two teams making a pool. As a club, we have spent a lot of resources to come here but it will be very disappointing to only play one match," Gitau said.
"As much as this competition is about exposure for my players, we are taking it seriously. We aim to win the title. We are the second-best-ranked club in the continent so the onus is on the team to win trophies."
The experienced tactician called on the Eastern African countries to take the competition seriously.
"We have stayed for long without having competition in our zone. Ask Uganda or Tanzania when last did they play Kenya," Gitau posed.
Six teams will rub shoulders in the men's cadre even as Kigali is hosting the premier club showpiece for the second time having hosted the maiden men’s edition in 2019.
The women are playing their first edition.
