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Kenya Cup Most Valuable Player (MVP) Marlin 'Tata' Terry (Tata) believes the U20 women's volleyball team has what it takes to bring home the title during the African Championships set for August 3-12 in Yaoundé, Cameroon.
Tata,
a right attacker for the KCB Women’s Volleyball Club, is among the 12
players selected by the U20 technical bench as Kenya readies for the
continental assignment.
“The players are friendly, and they train well. I
look forward to blending with them,” said Tata, who joined the camp
this week. “If we carry on like this, we’ll bring the cup home,” she went on.
The
squad, named Wednesday at Nyayo National Stadium, has been undergoing
residential training at the same venue, with preparations fully
supported by the Ministry of Sports and the National Olympic Committee
of Kenya (NOC-K).
The team is scheduled to depart for Yaoundé on
Saturday at 9 am aboard Ethiopian Airlines via Lome, Togo.
Tata,
who was instrumental in guiding KCB to the Kenya Cup title last month,
remains eligible for selection for the senior Malkia Strikers squad
heading into the FIVB Women’s World Championship in Thailand later this
August.
She noted that
her experience with the senior national team has given her confidence as
she now shifts her focus to supporting the junior squad.
“It’s been two
days since I joined the juniors, and I’ve gotten immense support,” she
said. “I am targeting to bring back a personal award. We’ve talked with
my fellow juniors, and I’ll help them where I can. We need to believe in
ourselves and all will be well if we put God first.”
Kenya Volleyball Federation (FKF) second vice president and U20 team manager Kenneth Tonui confirmed that
the squad is in high spirits.
“The team has been training at Nyayo for a
while now, and they are good to go. We are looking forward to a better
result,” Tonui said. He added that the team will return to the country on
August 12.
Joining Tata
in the final squad are opposite attacker Eddah Jepkemei; left attackers
Milkah Akinyi, Daisy Jepleting, Mary Nanjala and Daisy Chepkirui;
middle blockers Benta Oluoch, Sharon Akinyi, and Patricia Chemutai;
setters Sheila Wabuile and Esabella Nafula; and libero Sharon Jepkosgei.
The
technical bench is led by head coach Jackline Barasa, assisted by Luka
Kariuki. The team physiotherapist is Bala Conceptor, while Kenneth Tonui
serves as team manager. Ismail Chege has been appointed head of the delegation.
