• The exit of the players paved way for a young talented crop of players who rose to the occasion in Cairo.
• Pipeline signed Betty Sifuna, Gladys Ekaru, Esther Mutinda from Kwanthanze and Sharon Chepchumba from Prisons.
Kenya Pipeline women’s volleyball team coach Margaret Indakala yesterday claimed the loss seven of their players to KCB early this year was a blessing in disguise.
She said the exit of the players paved way for a young talented crop of players who rose to the occasion in Cairo and helped the team win bronze for the second year running at the African Club Championships in Cairo, Egypt on Monday
“When we lost the seven players, it looked like a major blow to the team but gladly, we signed players from Kwanthanze and one from Kenya Prisons’ and I must say they have done us proud. The team was intact in the training and the championship and we rarely felt their absence,” said Indakala yesterday on return from Egypt at JKIA.
She added: “One thing the North Africans have mastered and capitalise on to win titles is their top-notch service and their backcourt. If we can work on those departments, we can challenge them for trophies. Training in an indoor facility for a long period is an added advantage.”
Pipeline signed Betty Sifuna, Gladys Ekaru, Esther Mutinda from Kwanthanze and Sharon Chepchumba from Prisons. Interestingly, KCB, who had signed Noel Murambi, Violet Makuto, Leonida Kasaya, Jemimah Siangu, Truphosa Kipkemei, Christine Njambi and Veronica Tanui finished ninth.
Tanui later moved to KDF. Team captain Triza Atuka said the bronze medal has set a perfect stage for the team to reclaim the Kenya Volleyball Federation national league they lost to Prisons’ last year.
“Our focus now shifts to the national league. The young players have impressed and really we can only get better going forward. The competition was not easy considering that we had a relatively young squad but we rose to the occasion and won bronze. We can only hope for the best,” noted Atuka.
Chepchumba, who was awarded the best attacker accolades, said she is yet to hit her top. “The award will push me to do even better. I have been improving since last year and I believe I will be better going forward. My aspiration is to one day play in Europe and for this to happen, I have to get everything right,” said Chepchumba.