In Yaounde
Malkia Strikers Wednesday produced an amazing comeback here at the Palais polyvalent des sports (Paposy) Arena in Yaounde to see off Cameroon 3-1 (25-27, 25-14, 25-11, 25-18) in a fiercely contested African Nations Championship semi-final match.
The win lifted Kenya to position 23 on the FIVB rankings with 155.86 points which leaves Malkia Strikers as the top-ranked country in Africa. Kenya are therefore on course to represent Africa at the Paris 2024 Olympics in line with the universality principle that demands every continent be represented at next year’s Summer Games.
Cameroon, who are now ranked 25th with 133.23 points, were Kenya’s closest opposition for top spot and will now play for bronze with Rwanda who lost 3-0 to Egypt in the first semi-final.
Egypt will battle Kenya for the title on Thursday but they will need a miracle to dethrone Kenya from top spot in Africa as they are ranked 34th with 117.34 points.
Opposite Sharon Chepchumba led Kenya with 26 points (21 kills, 1 ace, 4 blocks) as middle blockers Edith Wisa and Trizah Atuka added 15 and 14 points respectively which included an impressive 10 block points between the pair. Estelle Adiana replied with 15 points (13 kills, 2 aces) for Cameroon.
The hosts were the first to settle, racing to a 3-0 lead but the game was soon level at 5-5 when Emmaculate Nekesa blocked Brandy Gatcheu for dead.
Arielle Olomo shut out Veronica Adhiambo to hand Cameroon a two-point lead forcing Kenya coach Luizomar de Moura to call for a timeout. Malkia Strikers then went on a four-point rally to lead 13-11 and it was Peter Nonnenbroich’s turn to call for a timeout.
The red and yellow ship stabilised as they leveled the set at 15-15 following an error from Mercy Moim’s spike which went wide. Both sides exchanged leads until 20-20 when Kenya went on a three-point rally to lead 23-20.
But the hosts, buoyed by the packed stadium, rallied to equalise at 23-23 through Gatcheu’s powerful spike.
The set stretched into overtime and it’s the experienced Stephanie Fotso who delivered the set point for Cameroon. Adhiambo then made an error from attack in the next rally to hand Cameroon the opening set at 27-25.
Chepchumba roared Kenya into a 6-3 lead with a fierce back row spike and Moim pulled a monster block on Estelle Adiana forcing Nonnenbroich to make an early substitution. Yet the storm never abated as Edith Wisah took the scoreline to 15-9 with her trademark slide attack.
More changes followed on the Cameroon side when Fawziya Abdoulkarim and Emelda Piatta joined the fray but it’s Kenya who continued to dominate.
Andrea Mimosette was penalised for stepping on the three-metre line when going for a back row attack to give Kenya the set point and when Piatta service crashed on the net, the scoreboard read 25-14 in favour of the girls in black.
Kenya picked from where they left in the third set opening a 5-2 lead and Nonnenbroich introduced Henriette Koulla for Nancy Mbira in a bid to change the game.
A Mexican wave from the fans at Paposy sought to inspire the home team but it was an exercise in futility as Kenya embarked on an eight-point rally that left them leading 14-3.
Fans started trooping out of Paposy when Adhiambo’s kill took the scores to 20-7 and the die was cast shortly afterwards when a rebound off Nekesa’s block brushed Adiana’s shoulder on its way out for Kenya to seal the set at 25-11.
Koulla started ahead of Mbira in the fourth set as Cameroon sought a way back in the game. Wisah blocked Gatcheu to give Kenya a 3-1 lead but the outside hitter was responsible when the tables turned in Cameroon’s favour with a brilliant ace that took them ahead at 8-5.
Luizomar called for a timeout to calm his charges and it worked perfectly as Atuka’s block on Adiana leveled the scores at 9-9. A three-point rally that featured two blocks from Atuka and a kill from Chepchjumba carried Kenya to 12-9.
The block party on the Kenyan side continued when Wisa shut out Adiana from a back row attack and Nonnenbroich responded by replacing Koulla with Mbira. There was temporary relief for the hosts when Adiana’s jump services cut Kenya’s lead to just two points.
But she soon turned into the villain after two consecutive errors helped Kenya open a four-point lead at 20-16. Atuka’s dunk following an overpass from Menkred Odette started Kenya’s emphatic finish that also took in an ace from substitute Jemimah Siang’u.
It was befitting that Most Valuable Player of this encounter Chepchumba decided the match with a classy kill to complete the job at 25-18.
