Nairobi — KCB Volleyball Ladies delivered a strong performance at the 2026 Africa Clubs Championship, finishing as runner-up after a hard-fought campaign in Cairo, Egypt.
The Lionesses concluded the tournament as the second-best team, falling to Egypt's Al Ahly Volleyball Club in the final with a 3-1 loss (22-25, 25-15, 25-20, 25-16) to settle for silver on Thursday evening. This is an improvement from last year, when the team finished 5th in Nigeria.
KCB drew first blood, taking the opening set 22-25. However, Al Ahly responded strongly, claiming the next three sets 25-15, 25-20, and 25-16 to secure the title.
The defeat marked KCB's only loss of the tournament, following an impressive unbeaten run from the group stages through to the final.
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In the individual categories, Malyn Terry Tata scooped the Best Opposite Attacker award, while Juliana Namutira and Sharon Cherono emerged as the Best Outside Hitter and Best Middle Blocker, respectively.
Speaking after the impressive run in the tournament, Team captain Mercy Moim said, "First of all, my appreciation goes to everyone on the team for not giving up, even when things got tough. We fought to the end and gave our best. While we did not get the result we wanted, we are proud of how far we have come and how we represented Kenya.
This experience will only make us stronger. We will take the lessons from this tournament and come back even better."
KCB Volleyball patron Judith Sidi Odhiambo said, "I am very proud of the team. They have shown great determination throughout the tournament. Finishing second in Africa is no small feat. We will carry this momentum into our local competitions, keep our heads high and win all that is there."
The result adds another chapter to the long-standing rivalry between KCB and Al Ahly. Before this year's encounter, KCB had faced the now 11-time winners Al Ahly in the final on three occasions, winning twice.
Their first meeting in the 2006 final in Vacoas, Mauritius, saw KCB recover from a group stage loss to edge the Egyptians 3-2. Al Ahly responded in 2009, winning 3-1 in Nairobi, before KCB ended Kenya's nine-year title drought with a commanding 3-1 triumph in Kelibia, Tunisia, in 2022.
This year, KCB's journey to the final was marked by an impressive unbeaten run in the group stages.
The bankers opened their Pool D campaign with a straight-sets victory over Nigeria's Vipers and Partners (25-19, 25-19, 25-19), before overcoming Seychelles' ARSU Ladies, cruising to a 3-0 victory (25-09, 25-14, 25-17).
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They sealed top spot with a dominant display against Cameroon's Litto Team Volleyball in another 3-0 win (25-13, 25-22, 25-23) to finish the preliminary stage with maximum points.
They carried that momentum into the knockout rounds, dispatching Burundi's GLC 3-0 (25-13, 25-07, 25-14) in the Round of 16 before sweeping past Cameroon's Mayo Kani Evolution 3-0 (25-15, 25-18, 25-21) in the quarter-finals to maintain their perfect run.
In the semi-finals, KCB continued with the fight, rallying from a first-set loss to defeat Kenyan rivals Kenya Pipeline Volleyball Club 3-1 (16-25, 25-10, 25-15, 25-19) to book their place in the final. m
Meanwhile, Al Ahly also came from behind to overcome Tunisia's CF Carthage 3-1 (20-25, 25-22, 25-16, 25-22), to set a date with KCB.
