KDF subject Trailblazers to third loss of the weekend as KVF second leg concludes

Fans at the Nyayo Indoor Arena to witness the Kenya Volleyball Federation (KVF) men's league second leg match between Ulinzi and Trailblazers were entertained to a thriller as the military side came from a set down to win the match 3-1 (21-25, 25-21, 25-13, 32-30). 

Both sides were coming off loses in their Saturday matches and it was a must-win encounter for both for various reasons.  

It was, however, the Elisha Aliwa-coached Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) side that fought for victory, subjecting moneybags Trailblazers to yet another defeat, the third for the weekend. 

"We had to fight for this win. Yesterday we struggled against Prisons Kenya as we were playing on the outdoor court and we train indoors. 

With the conditions perfect, we had to fight for this victory. The first set was jittery but we worked on a few things in the sets that followed for the win. 

Our service and blocks proved to be the game changer at the end of the day. We lost concentration in the fourth set and almost lost it for a golden set that could have gone either way. 

As we go back to training, we have to strengthen our services and blocks while working our recovery as well," offered Ulinzi's skipper Nick Kimutai. 

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The first set was won 25-21 by Trailblazers to revive hopes of picking at least a point in the second leg of the season but that was quickly crushed with a 25-21 set by the soldiers. 

With the sets tied, the third set was closely contested but poor service and great blocking by the KDF side saw Trailblazers go behind again yo lose the set 25-13 and set the stage for a winner for Aliwa's charges. 

Not wanting to let the set slip away from them, Trailblazers returned for the set a much improved side and the zeal to win was evident. 

The Geoffrey Omondi-led side were three points ahead at 19-22 and looked set to take the set but Aliwa called for a timeout that changed everything for his charges. 

The final ten minutes of the match was pure joy for the neutral fans but agony for those supporting either side as service errors almost crippled both teams. 

Just when one side thought they had it, an unforced error would see the score tied, first at 24 and again at 25 and the fans were in for spectacular finish. The rally was finally broken by back-to-back attacks off the field of play handing Ulinzi the win. 

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"It has been a difficult weekend for us but I commend the players for the fight in the final match. We were up against a good team in KDF and the fighting spirit goes to show with a bit of changes we will come back strong. 

Losing some key players ahead of the season has played a number on us and we are still suffering from that. That has affected our rhythm. 

We will, however, work to correct our mistakes ahead of the third leg," offered Stanley Mutua, skipper Trailblazers.