Beach volleyball pair set for opening match

National beach volleyball team head coach Salome Wanjala has said they have no plans to take the foot off the pedal as they engage the final gear in training ahead of their Saturday's opening match of the Commonwealth Games in Smithfield, Birmingham City.

"We shall go into the Saturday's match with a lot of aggressiveness it deserves. We shall be making our debut at the Club Games but we are well prepared for our opponents," said Wanjala, as the team continued with its training in Smithfield.

"I chose the best players who have previously represented the country in many international tournaments with enough experience and exposure," added the former KCB player.
"We shall approach our first match against New Zealand with a lot of confidence because our main reason of being in Birmingham is to win," she added.

Kenya will be represented by Olympians and African queens Gaudencia Makokha and Brackcides Agala.

The duo is fresh from representing the country at the 2022 World championships held in Rome, Italy last month. Wanjala said they had good training sessions in Mombasa before the departure.

"We have been having two training sessions a day and the girls are up to the task ahead," she said.

She said the team is focused on producing good results after improving on the defence and blocks. The event has attracted 12 nations that will be battling for the title.
Kenya is pooled in pool A alongside reigning champions Canada, New Zealand, and Ghana. Kenya will be making her debut in the games scheduled to serve off today to August 8.