Kenya Prisons eye first match victory in fourth show at the World Club Championships

Kenya Prisons team during a past league match in Nairobi. The team is in Zurich for the World Club Championships. [PHOTO: BONIFACE OKENDO/STANDARD]

By Oscar Pilipili

Zurich, Switzerland: Kenya Prisons setter Jane Wacu says the team will miss the services of right attacker Lydia Maiyo at the FIVB World Club Championships, which start tomorrow in Zurich, Switzerland.

Wacu said: “Right position is very special and Maiyo has been doing so well here.”

“We’re going to miss her services but I believe her replacement, Esther Mwombe, will perfectly fit in her shoes.”

Maiyo, who is also a long serving member of the national team, is out on motherhood leave. She is the tallest player in the team at 1.85 metres and has featured in the last three World Club Championships.

Wacu is optimistic her Kenya Prisons will achieve better results on this occasion.

She said: “Our performance at the Championships have been improving with time.”

“We’ve managed to win a total of three sets and stretched one team to five sets and this is an indication that our game is on upward trend.”

The setter maintained she will use the experience gained from previous Championships to deliver the points in Zurich.

“Although our opponents are parading professional players, we’re determined to play better and come out with good results,” she said.

Mwombe, the player selected by Coach David Lung’aho to take the position of Maiyo said: “The challenge ahead is great because I know the right position is very tricky.”

Great prospects

“I look forward to playing better and help Prisons secure good results at the Championships.”

Prisons were the third team to arrive at the competition’s venue here in Zurich yesterday after a seven-hour-45-minutes flight from Nairobi aboard Swiss Air.

The team plays its round one matches in Pool “B” alongside Evergrande Guangdong of China and hosts Volero Zurich.

The wardresses are scheduled to play Evergrande in their opening match of the tournament tomorrow.

The team that wins here stands realistic chances of advancing to the second round of the Championships.

Playing format

The event involves six continental winners who are divided into two pools of three teams each. The top two in each pool advance to second round of the Championships.

One club from each Confederation as well as hosts Volero Zurich will battle it out for honours in the seventh edition one year after Sollys Nestle of Brazil won their first ever title and third successive medal.

Unilever Volei is the South American representatives while Chinese side Guangdong Evergrande flies Asian flag in the Championships.

Turkey’s Vakifbank Istanbul qualified by winning the European Volleyball Champions League in March while Kenya Prisons captured their fourth straight African title in April.

USA’s Iowa Ice is the fifth Confederation team having been selected as the NORCECA representative. Unlike the Men’s Club World Championship, the women’s show has had six different winners from four different countries.

Brazil has been represented on the winner’s podium three times, including Sollys Nestle last year, while Azerbaijan, Turkey and Italy have all had clubs step on the top podium once.

Brazil’s Sollys Nestlé took the title in 2012, beating defending champions Rabita Baku of Azerbaijan in the final.

In Doha 2010, Fenerbahce (Turkey) won the title beating Sollys Osasco (Brazil). Rabita Baku won in 2011.         

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