Gritty Pipeline lasses storm Club Championships semis

Kenya Pipeline players celebrate a point during their 2019 Africa Women Volleyball Club Championships quarter-finals match against Sporting of Egypt at the Al Ahly Sports Complex in Cairo on March 22, 2019. PHOTO | CAVB |

What you need to know:

  • Pipeline will now face either defending champions and hosts Al Ahly of Egypt or El Shams also of Egypt in the last four.

Kenya Pipeline on Friday stormed into the 2019 Africa Women Volleyball Club Championships semi-finals after edging out Sporting of Egypt 3-1 (25-19, 25-27, 25-12, 25-20) in a hotly contested last eight match at the Al Ahly Sports Complex in Cairo.

Pipeline will now face either defending champions and hosts Al Ahly of Egypt or El Shams also of Egypt in the last four. The all-Egyptian quarter-finals affair had just started by the time we went to press.

Earlier on in Hall 2, Kenya Commercial Bank atoned for their failure to make to make it past the group stages with a 3-0 (25-13, 25-23, 25-22) win over winless Egyptian side Shooting in the 9-12 play-offs match.

Against Sporting, who edged out KCB 3-2 in the group stages, Margaret Indakhala's charges took control of the first set with new signing Sharon Chepchumba, veteran setter Janet Wanja and new kid on the block Gladys Ekaru playing a key role.

Skipper Trizah Atuka and Gaudencia Makhoha also played a vital role in the set before a see-saw affair in the second set went the Egyptians 27-25 way with the Kenyans failing to nick it while leading 24-23 late on.

Kenya Pipeline setter Janet Wanja (white - left) and middle blocker Trizah Atuka go up for a block during their 2019 Africa Women Volleyball Club Championships quarter-finals match against Sporting of Egypt at the Al Ahly Sports Complex in Cairo on March 22, 2019. PHOTO | CAVB |

It was the third set where a combination of power play and classic defending helping the Kenyans pull away 8-3, then 12-5 before hitting the Egyptians 25-12.

The fourth set proved a close affair in the opening exchanges with Sporting taking the first two points before Pipeline hit back 2-2, went ahead 3-2 then the Egyptians recovered to lead 4-3. But the Kenyans hit back to lead 6-4, then the hosts recovered yet again to go ahead 8-7 at the first technical timeout.

Pipeline, buoyed by their 3-1 come from behind victory over FAP of Cameroon in the last Group C match on Wednesday, hit the front to lead 13-11, then pulled away to go for the second technical timeout 16-11 ahead. From there on, Indakhala's charges didn't look back.

In the other quarter-finals matches, Tunisia's Carthage sailed into semi-finals for the fourth straight year with a comprehensive 3-0 (25-19, 25-19, 25-22) win over Cameroon's FAP. Carthage, led by professional Ukrainian outside hitter Yulia Vorona, will now face Algeria's GSP in a North African derby. FAP meet Customs for the play off 5-8 positions