Volleyball : St Paul’s upset Kasarani to storm Savlon league final

By REBECCA GICHANA

Previous Savlon League action. [PHOTO: EVANS HABIL

St Paul’s University upset Savlon Nairobi Volleyball League champions Kasarani Constituency 3:1 to book a final date with Embakasi Constituency.

St Paul’s cruised past the defending champions in sets of 25-17, 25-17, 19-25 and 25-19 at the Nyayo National Stadium over the weekend.

St Paul’s assistant coach Jesse Barasa said being in the final was a great achievement considering it was their first time. “This is a bonus for us as a university to be in the final of such an event,” said the tactician.

He added: “We are well prepared to rumble in the final and hope our sisters will also qualify. I want to encourage fans to come and cheer our team in the final where we hope to bag top honours. We want to tap and nurture talent because there is a lot of it.”

Barasa said his team would take part in as many tournaments as possible for the players to get exposure for their forthcoming assignments.

“We are also taking part in the Kenya University and Colleges Association (Kusa) games where we hope to gain some experience. We are looking forward to participate in the league next season with more focus than ever before,” he added.

In another match played at the same venue, Embakasi defeated Strathmore University 3:2 (27-25, 25-19, 25-21, 17-25, 15-8) to book the final ticket in the men’s self-sponsoring category.

Kenyatta University (KU) beat Strathmore University 3:1 in sets of 21-25, 25-20, 25-21 and 25-19 to book a slot in the semi-finals.

KU went ahead to demolish St Paul’s University 3:1 (19-25, 25-22, 25-23, 25-20) in their second match of the weekend.

St Paul’s will face Kasarani in the semi-finals while KU will battle it out for the final slot against Starehe Constituency in the women’s self-sponsoring category.

Parklands Arya beat Nembu Girls 3:2 (20-25, 25-20, 25-20, 18-25, 15-12) to book the final slot in the school’s category.

Parklands will have to wait for their rivals  in  the final, in a match between the defending champions Kwanthanze and State House Girls’ High School.

In the boy’s category, Aquinas Secondary will lock horns with Euticus in the finals while Githiga Boys will play Hospital Hill in the third-place play-offs. Finals will take place in Nairobi next weekend, with various prizes up for grabs. –[email protected]