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Egypt: Bankers Are Seeded Top in Cairo Show
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The Nation (Nairobi)
27 April 2008
Posted to the web 28 April 2008
Chris Musumba
Cairo
Kenya Commercial Bank have been seeded top in the 23rd Africa Women's Volleyball Club Championship which starts on Sunday at the Abdalla El Faysal Hall in Cairo.
This means that KCB will remain favourites in their pool while hosts Al Ahly will be ranked top in the second pool.
KCB and Kenya Prisons have been kept apart, at least until after the preliminary rounds.
The bankers, champions in 2006, lost out in the semi-finals of the tournament last year in Cairo to Kenya Pipeline and their coach Paul Bitok was relieved not to face a Kenyan team early in the tournament.
There are 10 teams in the championship here with all the big favourites available, including the last two champions, KCB and Al Ahly.
The drawing of lots was due to be done late last night to decide the order of play. The Confederation of African Volleyball (CAVB) press officer, Tarek Al- Eldwar, said the teams will be drawn in two pools and will compete in a league format with the winner and runners up in each pool qualifying for the semi-finals.
Four-time champions, Al Ahly, are the tournament favourites with experienced players like Yosra Abdel Karim, Miral Raouf and Sherihan Sameh in their line-up.
The club also has young players to rely on led by prodigy Hagar Badr.
KCB are keen to reclaim the title they lost last year and the signing of a few new players has left their opponents jittery. Veteran captain Dorcas Ndasaba and Margaret Indakala stand out for the bankers.
"They are focusing on Ndasaba, which gives room for Jackline Barasa and Esther Ouna to shine. Once we get the momentum, it will be hard to stop us. The weather is perfect, although the air conditioning systems are affecting a few of my players," said Bitok. Kenya Prisons, the tournament's underdogs, went through the registration on Saturday without any problems while Uganda's Nkumba University, which has two Kenyan players - Violet Akisa and Yelena Juma, both former Lugulu Girls players - had not completed the mandatory three months transfer period for foreign players and their fate remains unknown.
The good news from the Kenyan camp is that David Lung'aho, the Prisons coach, welcomed back Pauline Nyongesa who was taken ill on arrival in Cairo on Friday.
Although she did not train with the rest on Saturday, Nyongesa has improved and is able to do light training, a move that has inspired the rest of the team.
Prisons are making their debut in the continental championship and are keen to leave a lasting mark by clinching the title to add on to the league trophy they won last season.
"After the two-day training, my players have settled down and we look forward to the championship today. It is going to be tough, but I'm happy that I will have the service of all my players," said Lung'aho. "I have polished their ball reception and service which have been a major issue to us."
Making a comeback with a new set of players is Algeria's champion club Mouloudia.
The Algerians are under pressure to achieve what their national team did when they qualified for the Beijing Olympics by beating Kenya in the final at the recent qualifier.
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Al Shams of Egypt, the runners up in the Egyptian league and the semi-finalists of last year's continental competition, are also making a strong bid for the silverware.
Al Shams have the best African middle blocker Injy El Shamy, to whom they are pegging their onslaught for the honours.
Other competing clubs are Mafolofolo of Botswana, whose volleyball is still in the elementary stages despite them having reached the semi-finals in the 2006 edition in Mauritius. Bafia Evolution of Cameroon, Nkumba University of Uganda, VC Canon of Democratic Republic of Congo and Old Boys of Zimbabwe who were expected to arrive last night.
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