Pipeline and Prisons spike closer to last eight place

Violet Makuto of Kenya Prisons (R) strikes against Janet Wanja of Kenya Pipeline during their 24th Women's African Club Championship semi final match in Carthage, Tunisia, April 25, 2014. Kenya Prisons won 3-0. Photo/Stephen Mudiari/www. Pic centre.com (TUNISIA).

National champions Kenya Pipeline and Kenya Prisons are one match away from reaching the quarter-finals of this year’s  2018 African Women’s volleyball Club Championship in Cairo, Egypt.

Pipeline and Prisons, who were due to play against DGSP of Congo and Douanes (Burkina Faso) respectively in their third Group matches last evening, have had an impressive start to the continental tournament after winning all their two opening matches.

A win for the two clubs will see them qualify for the last eight with a game in hand. Prisons will clash with Injs of Cameroon in their final Group match at 3pm today before paving way for the clash between Pipeline and FAP (Cameroon) at 6pm.

Both teams will be aiming for wins in the remaining two matches to avoid meeting each other in the quarters.

The wardresses recorded their second win of the tournament after seeing off Asec Mimosa (Cote d’ Ivoire ) in straight sets of 25-7,25-17 and 25-12 on Thursday. This came barely a day after another impressive 3-0 (25-10, 25-15,25-15) over the Customs of Nigeria in their first Group D match.

It was the same case for Pipeline, who beat Vision Volleyball Camp from Uganda 3-1 (25-7, 24-26, 25-13, 25-15) on Thursday after Tuesday’s 3-0 (25-23,25-22,25-22) over last year’s losing finalists and hosts El Shams.

Unlike Prisons, who stuck with the squad and rotated it against Asec, the oil merchants made one change on the squad that swept aside El Shams in their opening match. Rose Magoi replaced flamboyant setter Janet Wanja in the starting line up.

Prisons’ Sharon Chepchumba starred against Customs scoring eight points as the technical bench rotated the entire squad, while complacency nearly cost Pipeline in their tie against Vision.

The Ugandans capitalised on Pipeline’s service errors to claim the second set 24-26, but the seven time continental champions bounced back swiftly to win the third and fourth sets in style.