Americans up next for Kenya in volleyball WC
What you need to know:
- Kenya lost all her five fixtures to Cuba, Dominican Republic, Russia, hosts Japan and Argentina and the African queens begin the second leg matches here in Okayama City on Sunday.
- Kenya stands a realistic chance of winning two of the remaining six fixtures - against Algeria and Peru.
IN OKOYAMA, JAPAN
Kenya women’s volleyball team is certain to have picked valuable lessons from first leg matches at the ongoing FIVB World Cup in Tokyo.
Kenya lost all her five fixtures to Cuba, Dominican Republic, Russia, hosts Japan and Argentina and the African queens begin the second leg matches here in Okayama City on Sunday.
The team arrived in Okayama from Tokyo on Friday and are programmed to play USA tomorrow before taking on China and Algeria in their second leg matches that begin tomorrow till Tuesday at Okayama, commonly referred to as the “ghost” city owing to its low population of about 1.5 million people compared to the country’s 127 million.
“We have learnt that there is very little room for error at this level. The whole team, from technical bench to players, will need to maintain concentration from the word go all through to the end of the game to stand a chance,” Kenya coach David Lung’aho offered.
“There are also things we want to work on in terms of basics and tactics.”
It was always going to be a tall order for Kenya to compete against the top 11 volleyball teams worldwide at this competition. Kenya has struggled in the past four editions of the World Cup.
Kenya stands a realistic chance of winning two of the remaining six fixtures - against Algeria and Peru.
According to FIVB bulletin, Kenya Prisons attacker Mercy Moim and Russian attacker Obmochaeva Nataliya top the scoring charts ahead of 136 other players. Both have 62 points and remain on course to winning the top scorer’s award.
Elizabeth Wanyama and Brackides Agala are also ranked favourably among the best diggers category, whilst Jane Wacu is ranked sixth overall on the best setters category, considering the players various contribution.
Kenya however ranks lowly in the receiving and setting departments respectively, a factor that would be of immediate concern to Lung’aho and his technical team.
Fixtures: Sunday: Kenya v USA; Monday: Kenya v China; Tuesday: Algeria v Kenya.
