Cameroon: Malkia Dream of Second Round Berth After Thrashing Cameroon in Holland

28 September 2022

Nairobi — Malkia Strikers head coach Paul Bitok believes they have what it takes to seal a historic second round qualification at the ongoing World Volleyball Championship in the Netherlands and Poland.

In the aftermath of their straight set victory over African champions Cameroon, Bitok said everything is going according to plan for the national women's volleyball team.

"That was the original plan we had in place since two months ago when we started our pre-tournament training camp. It (the match against Cameroon) was one of those we had planned to win to progress to the second round. Our minimum target was to win two matches to stand a chance of qualifying for the second round," Bitok said.

Kenya whipped their continental arch-rivals in sets of 25-20, 27-25 and 25-18 in a match held yesterday (Tuesday) evening in Arnhem, Netherlands.

They next face 2002 world champions Italy who currently top Pool A with nine points after winning their first three matches.

The triple European champions whitewashed Belgium in straight sets in an earlier match on Tuesday and are heavily tipped to reign over their East African opponents.

Bitok insists they will be looking to garner experience against the Italians - currently placed third on world rankings - even as they look ahead to their duel against Puerto Rico on Saturday.

"We will try to challenge them (Italy) as much as possible. We know they possess a lot of experience and are much superior so we won't be too concerned about getting a result in that match. Our main target is Puerto Rico and we will be reserving our energies in readiness for that match. A win against Puerto Rico will put us in a prime position to progress to the second round for the first time in history," the former coach of Rwandese side APR said.

Malkia began their World Championship campaign, losing in straight sets to hosts Netherlands and Belgium on Friday and Sunday respectively.

Bitok conceded it was always going to be a tall order for his charges to overcome the threat posed by the two giants.

"We lost the first two matches that we played against Netherlands and Belgium because these are top-ranked teams with experience. On the other hand, Cameroon and Puerto Rico are lower ranked and it is against them that we took our chances. It was a great game and until now, the celebrations are ongoing," he said.

The ladies are now placed fourth in Pool A with three points, ahead of Cameroon and Puerto Rico who lie fifth and sixth respectively.

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