L. MathekaAliwa plotting KDF's comeback after GSU defeat
Reading Time: 2min | Mon. 14.02.22. | 15:35
The soldiers have finished fourth in the last two seasons and will be out to better that performance
In their quest to qualify for yet another Kenya Volleyball Federation (KVF) men’s league playoffs, Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) are vowing to put their weekend defeat behind them and focus on winning their remaining matches.
The Elisha Aliwa coached side lost 3-1 (25-21, 22-25, 25-14 and 25-20) to holders General Service Unit (GSU) in their second match of the second league leg played at Nyayo National stadium.
The highly anticipated match that had pulled a crowd filling the Nyayo volleyball court to the brim could not live up to the fans’ expectations as KDF crumbled after winning the second set. In their previous two meetings, one in the playoffs and at Kapsabet in a tournament, the two sides played for five-set thrillers won, eventually by the holders.
“It was a good but tough match. GSU are defending champions and despite losing some players, they have a big bench that covers for the absence of the said players. We also struggled to learn the new players’ style of play and before we could adjust, it was too late for us. We have noted the differences and the next meeting our performance will be different,” said coach Aliwa.
He continued,” “We have a very competitive league this season and we cannot rest on our laurels. We cannot rely on one playing format. We are done with GSU but we have other tough matches ahead that we will have to prepare on a team by team basis as the fixtures come out. From the GSU match, it is clear we cannot rely on one format of play and we will have to prepare for any changes from our opposition.”
KDF struggled with service the entire match and that gave GSU, who fully utilized their possessions, an edge in the end. Coach Aliwa believes polishing their service and blocks will give them better results in the succeeding legs.
“Our services were not very effective and when we served well we struggled on the blocks. The problem was that we had prepared indoor for these second leg matches but had to play our game against GSU outdoor and adjusting posed a problem for us.” Aliwa offered.
