Mosah Mokganedi
26 September 2008
All roads lead to the Otse Police College tomorrow for the finals of the Capital Motors volleyball challenge.
In the opening women's final which is expected to kick off at 1.30pm, favourites Mafolofolo will once again confront blood rivals Kutlwano. Games between the two giants have never disappointed and this clash will be no exception.
Mafolofolo cruised to the final after beating Kalavango 3-1 in the semis while Kutlwano had a field day beating helpless BDF VI 3-0. Although more attention will be on the men's game, the women's final is likely to be the most explosive. Mafolofolo and Kutlwano have met in almost every final in local volleyball. In most cases, Mafolofolo have emerged victorious. In terms of strength, the two are at par but it seems Kutlwano cannot find the recipe to beat their rivals. Tebogo Sejewe and Masego Hosia will be the main players for Kutlwano tomorrow. Though more attention has been on Sejewe, the lanky Hosia is the deadlier of the two.
At Mafolofolo, the youthful Tsholofelo Retshabile and the experienced Dipolelo Nkele are expected to be the players to watch. The club struggled in the early stages of the competition and it is no doubt that pressure will be on than than Kutlwano. It will be character against determination when the two sides meet. Mafolofolo easily succumbs to pressure while Kutlwano have fighting spirit.Kutlwano senior player, Amogelang Nyambe, has said Mafolofolo will not forget tomorrow's match easily as it is going to mark the end of their dominance.
"They may be more experienced than we are but that will count for nothing. I promise you. This time you are going to see a different Kutlwano," said the passionate Nyambe.
"Morale in camp is very high and the girls are rearing to go. We really want to be the first winners of this cup," she said confidently.
The last time Kutlwano beat Mafolofolo was two years ago in the Debswana finals.
"We are not under any pressure. We know they fear us and they have even confessed to us," Nyambe claimed.She said the new sponsorship they clinched recently has boosted their morale. Kutlwano has only lost one set in the preliminary stages of the tournament while Mafolofolo lost three. Nyambe said this gives them confidence ahead of the final.
Mafolofolo captain Mosetsana Tumotumo prefers to remain calm ahead of the clash. She is not a person of many words and she chose not to talk about her opponents. "I can only talk about my team because I know what we are capable of," she said. She said people can talk as much as they want but tomorrow will be the judgement day.
"We will play to our best and I do not want to count my chicks before they hatch," she added. Tumotumo said they have more experience than their opponents as they have played tough sides in the continent like Al-Ahly of Egypt and Kenya Commercial Bank in the African Club Championships recently. She said history will count for nothing in tomorrow's game.
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