Malkia Strikers will be seeking to sign off with a win when they face Vietnam in their final Pool “G” match at the ongoing FIVB Women’s World Championship in Thailand today.
This followed a spirited fight in a 3-1 (25-17, 15-25, 25-15, 25-14) defeat to Poland at the 4,000-seater Saphan Hin Stadium in Phuket.
Despite bowing out of contention for a place in the second round, Kenya showed great improvement from their opening loss to Germany and even managed to take a set off the world number three side, a first in this year’s championship. Head coach Geoffrey Omondi admitted the performance was encouraging but said the team now has no choice but to finish strong against Vietnam.
“Bagging a set from the third-ranked country is indeed something, but I would have wanted a better result. I really wanted to win the fourth set and force a fifth set, and who knows, we would have won the match, but unfortunately, it didn’t turn out that way,” he said.
“At least we had a day to rest and recover ahead of the Vietnam match on Wednesday. Vietnam plays a fast game, and so we need to be at our best should we want to win against them. There has been great improvement from the team, individual brilliance, teamwork, and coordination, and so we just need to extend the same in our next match,” Omondi added.
He noted they lost to Vietnam during recent international friendlies and will be eager to “return the favour.”
Poland, who, alongside Germany, have already secured qualification to the second round, were pushed hard by the Kenyan side in the second set before steadying to close the match. Poland coach Stefano Lavarini lauded Kenya’s effort, saying his charges had to dig deep to overcome the African champions.
“Just as I had mentioned in the earlier interviews, that Kenyans were no pushovers, and that’s exactly what we experienced today. We struggled all through, but I’m glad we were able to contain them and win the match. They are a physical side that can pull a surprise,” said Lavarini.
Kenya began brightly in the second set, capitalising on good reception and quick transitions to level the sets at 1-1 after dropping the opener 25-17. However, the European giants regrouped and tightened their block to take the third and fourth sets 25-15 and 25-14.
The result leaves Kenya and Vietnam winless in the pool ahead of their Wednesday showdown at 1 pm EAT, a match that will only determine pride as both sides are already out of the competition.
Meanwhile, Germany and Poland will clash at 4:30 pm EAT in a battle to decide who tops the group. Malkia Strikers will now shift their focus to executing better under pressure, with Omondi stressing composure as the key to victory.
“We have grown with every match. The girls are beginning to trust themselves on this stage, and that’s very important going forward,” he concluded.
