LUKEWARM PERFORMANCE: Malkia Strikers fail to impress in volleyball, but youth team saves them blushes

Malkia Strikers Brackcides Agala (left) in action against Puerto Rico during a Group Two Grand Prix match in Poland, in June. [PHOTO: FIVB]

The 2016 volleyball season will for sure remain as one of the worst in Kenyan history.

It is the year that experienced trio of Brackcides Agala (former captain), Janet Wanja (former assistant captain) and right attacker Esther Wangeci, were recalled to the national women’s senior team, Malkia Strikers.

They had been controversially dropped ahead of the African Olympic qualifiers in Yaounde, where Malkia Strikers failed to clinch a direct ticket to Rio Olympic Games.

Kenya finished third behind champions Cameroon and Egypt (runner-up), relegating the Kenyans to the inter-continental qualification tournament in Puerto Rico, where again, they lost the Olympic ticket to the hosts.

Despite Kenya’s poor show, the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) had committed to partially cater for their expenses in the Puerto Rico play-offs.

Celebrated coach David Lunga’ho was also reinstated as Malkia Strikers’ head coach, with Japheth Munala, who was in charge of the team in Cameroon, assuming the assistant coach role.

The changes didn’t pay off though, after the nine-time African champions failed to qualify for the Summer Games.

Kenya carried their poor form to the FIVB Grand Prix Group Two in June, where they lost all their six preliminary matches.

The highly competitive Group Two got tougher for the East African side as they were relegated back to Group Three, without winning a single set. They lost to Argentina (twice), Bulgaria, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Poland.

However, the national women’s team got a lifeline in September when the World Grand Prix Council reinstated them to the 2017 FIVB World Grand Prix Group Two, following the promotion of four teams to Group Three.

“It was a good second opportunity for us, though I had anticipated it. The first time we played in Group 3, it was like a trial for us, but we performed well in the second year.

“So, I expected the girls to use the experience we gained on our debut to excel in the second year,” Malkia Strikers coach David Lung’aho told FeverPitch.

While Malkia Strikers were struggling on the big stage, their men’s team was inactive the entire season as Kenya Volleyball Federation (KVF) and Co-operative Bank indefinitely suspended Bernard Otieno, Michael Njoroge and Faustine Barasa from volleyball activities, for gross misconduct.

However, it is the Kenya U23 women’s team that saved Kenya blushes by qualifying for the 2017 World U23 Championship in Slovenia.

The junior side finished second behind champions Egypt in the five-team round-robin Africa Nations U23 Women’s Championships held in October at Kasarani Gymnasium.

The Catherine Mabwi-trained side thrashed Botswana 3-0 before losing 3-1 to eventual winners Egypt in their second match. Kenya bounced back to beat Senegal by straight sets, before silencing Rwanda 3-1 in the decisive encounter.

On the local scene, it was a fantastic KVF league season that had numerous surprises, one which had fans on the edge of their seats until the play-offs in November.

Deposed men’s champions General Service Unit and Kenya Prisons (women) were expected to win the title after staying at the top of their respective leagues with an impressive unbeaten record.

However, former champions Prisons Kenya (men) and champions Kenya Pipeline had other plans as they both lifted the 2016 titles after winning their three play-off matches, which were played in a round-robin format.

It was sweet revenge for the two champions, considering they lost to GSU and Prisons in almost all the tournaments, this season.

The duo of Jairus Bett (Prisons) and Triza Atuka (Pipeline) claimed the MVP awards for inspiring their respective teams to title triumphs in Mombasa.

Earlier in the year, Pipeline failed to reclaim the African Club championships in Egypt, in their third consecutive attempt, after losing 3-1 to Carthage of Tunisia in the semifinals.

However, the seven-time African champions claimed bronze medal after defeating Revenue Authority of Rwanda 3-1 in the third-place play-offs, as Kenya Prisons cruised past Algeria’s GSP by the same margin, to finish seventh.

Pipeline’s Violet Makuto was named the tournament’s best blocker.

General Service Unit also performed dismally in men’s African Club Championships in Cairo, Egypt where they finished 17th.