Reigning national league champions Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) swept past arch-rivals Kenya Prisons Queens 3-0 (28-26, 26-24, 25-21) at Moi Stadium, Kasarani Indoor Arena.
The hard-fought win saw the two sides tie 1-1, setting the stage for an electrifying best-of-three series tiebreaker on Sunday at the same venue.
KCB had lost 3-0 (24-26, 16-25, 17-25) to Kenya Prisons on Friday. KCB Coach Japheth Munala reflected on the turnaround, noting: "I am happy my players stuck to the script after an intense review of the opener. We came in with a fighting mentality and we were careful to avoid a repeat of Friday's events."
Munala praised standout performances by his players especially, Juliana Namutira and Esther Mutinda
He said: "Namutira and Mutinda pulled forces that saw the team outperform Prisons. I'm positive of a good finish on Sunday as well."
He expressed gratitude to his team, saying, "I thank my girls for a good game and deserved victory. We hope to tighten the nuts on Sunday to ensure we emerge victorious."
Kenya Prisons women's head coach Josp Baraza acknowledged their struggles in the match.
"We started on a low. I am, however, optimistic of a different result tomorrow. I had high expectations but my team failed to deliver," he said. Despite the loss, Baraza said he remains hopeful ahead of Sunday's decider.
He added: "All is not lost. We hope to make amends before the deciding match. I believe we still have a chance to win the league title," he noted.
Meanwhile, Kenya Pipeline also clinched the bronze after defeating the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) 3-0 (25-17, 25-16, 25-22).
