Rwanda’s APR stun CAVB Zone V champions Kenya Pipeline to win title in Kampala
Confederation of Africa Volleyball (CAVB) Zone V Women’s Club Championship champions Kenya Pipeline were forced to surrender their title on Monday after a 3-1 (25-20, 17-25, 25-27, 23-25) loss to Rwanda’s APR in a final match played in Kampala, Uganda.
Pipeline coach Geoffrey Omondi will have more questions to answer after seeing his team fail to retain the title that they were expected to easily win.
But even as the coach tries to find out what would have gone wrong, he will not look further than himself for the answers after making some questionable changes especially in the third set.
After making a complete overhaul of his first six players for the third set, Omondi seemed to have made an error in judgment after making another change at set point and that was the turning point.
The change did not work and Pipeline went ahead to lose the set 27-25 yet they were comfortably leading the set by four points when they were serving for their 20th point.
Omondi had taken out national team players Triza Atuka, Gladys Ekaru and Leonida Kasaya after APR won the second set.
It was left to another national team player Agrippina Kundu to fight a lone battle as she tried to collect all the loose balls from her libero position but the Rwandese had their tails up after winning the second set.
There was no recovery for Pipeline after APR had taken a 2-1 lead in the set score as the reigning champions continued to make error after error in attack.
The Rwandese went on to win the fourth set 25-23 and in the process won the match 3-1. Pipeline had won the first set 25-20 before APR put up a brilliant performance in the second set which they won 25-17.
Heading into the competition, Pipeline were the hot favourites to win the title with other Kenyan clubs opting not to travel to Uganda.
Pipeline were expected to face tough competition from the likes of Kenya Volleyball Federation league champions KCB Bank and former champions Kenya Prisons.
The duo however decided to remain in Kenya and prepare for the Africa Club Championships which are set to be staged in Nigeria in April and it was left to Pipeline to fly the Kenyan flag at the Zone V event.
After the loss at the Zone V event, Pipeline will not have time to leak their wounds as they have to start preparing for the Africa Club Championships which are set to be held in Nigeria in April.
Coach Omondi knows he will be facing even more tougher opponents at the Africa Club Championships and only a win at the event will redeem his battered imagine after the Zone debacle.