Nairobi — National men's volleyball team coach Elisha Aliwa admits they were taught a lesson by Egypt in the African Games final that they lost in straight sets.
Aliwa said there is no shame in losing to a fancied opponent, such as the North Africans rather it was a lesson on the level they should aspire for.
"I thank God and I thank the boys for they have really tried their best. Reaching the finals is not an easy task and the Egyptian team are not an easy opponent. They have shown that by beating us 3-0," Aliwa said.
Wafalme 23-25 21-25 and 18-25 in a one-sided duel at the Multipurpose Hall in Accra on Saturday to wrap up their fairytale adventure with a silver medal -- their best ever return at the games.
Aliwa is keen on picking up from their campaign and building a solid team that will compete set-for-set against the heavyweights of the continent and the world at large.
"We have learnt a lot from them so going forward we hope that these lessons we have acquired will help us. So, next time the aim is to win gold," he said.
Wafalme were returning to the competition for the first time since 2019 when they missed out on the 12th edition in Rabat, Morocco.
Munala contented
At the same time, the women's volleyball team coach Japheth Munala admits there is a tinge of regret at not being able to defend their title.
Malkia Strikers' dream of sixth African Games title billowed in smoke after losing 3-2 to archrivals Egypt in the semi-finals.
Nonetheless, the African champions went some way to redeem themselves with straight sets decimation of the hosts in the third-place playoff to bag bronze.
"Ghana is a good team and we managed to beat them 3-0. This (clinching bronze) is not what I came to get from Ghana but I thank God that He has given me something to go back home with. We will go back to the drawing board and plan how to play well the next time," Munala said.
There was more joy for Malkia as Trizah Atuka and Veronicah Adhiambo were crowned the best middle blocker and outside hitter of the tournament respectively.
Wafalme's Wilson Cheruiyot and Nicholas Matui were also awarded the best middle blocker and outside hitter respectively, in the men's division.
