Victorious GSU, Pipeline claim volleyball titles in Mombasa

Cornelius Kiplagat (left) of GSU spikes the ball against Peterson Kimani (10) and Stephen Murimi of Nairobi Water during their National Volleyball League match played at Eldoret Polytechnic on May 29, 2015. PHOTO |JARED NYATAYA | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Sunday's victory saw battle-hardened GSU collect maximum six points at the play-offs.

  • Kenya Pipeline, coached by Japheth Munala, retained the women’s title after beating David Lung’aho’s Kenya Prisons 3-1 sets.

General Service Unit reclaimed the Kenya Volleyball Federation men’s national title following a 3-1 sets victory over Kenya Defence Forces in a decisive match at the KPA Makande Hall on Sunday in Mombasa. 

At the same time, Kenya Pipeline, coached by Japheth Munala, retained the women’s title after beating David Lung’aho’s Kenya Prisons 3-1 sets. 

Sunday's victory saw battle-hardened GSU collect maximum six points at the play-offs which attracted eight top teams (four men’s teams and an equal number of women’s squads). 

Led by a hard-working Cornelious Langat, David Kirwa and Bernard Musumba, GSU won the first set 25-15 and took the second 25 -18. However, the going got tough for the paramilitary side in the third set that saw the soldiers regroup to win 21-25. 

A timely change of strategy by coach Gideon Tarus saw GSU outplay KDF in the fourth set which his side win 25-19 to ensure the team reclaimed the trophy they last won in 2013. Kenya Prisons won the title last year.

RECLAIMD THE TROPHY

“It is good that we’ve reclaimed the trophy we lost last year. I want to assure our fans that it won’t be easy getting the cup out of our trophy cabinet next year,” Tarus said. 

In another match played earlier at the same venue, Kenya Prisons beat Kenya Defence Forces 3-0 sets  to revive their hopes of reclaiming the title they won last year. Prisons won the first set  25-13 and never  looked back,  winning the ensuing sets  25-21 and 25-16 to send  their opponents packing.

Kenya Pipeline retained the women’s title after beating Kenya Prisons 3-1 sets.

Prisons won the first set 25-19 but Pipeline regrouped to win the second, third and fourth sets 25 - 12, 25 - 19 and 29 -27 in the match which kept fans on the edge of their seats. 

“We had the youngest team at the play-offs with an average age of 20.

I think they performed beyond expectations, especially against Kenya Pipeline,” Prisons coach David Lung’aho said after the match.