Prisons bag bronze at Africa Club championships

Kenya Volleyball Federation (KVF) women's league defending champions Kenya Prisons beat Nigeria Customs by straight sets in a Confederation of African Volleyball (CAVB) women's Africa club championship third-place playoff to bag bronze as the games concluded on Friday, 30 April, night. 

Under the tutelage of David Lugh'aho who was holding brief for head coach Josp Barasa who is in camp with the national team, Malkia Strikers, the wardresses gave a good account of themselves despite missing eight key players. 

Six of the eight, Joy Lusenaka, Pamela Masaisai, Lorine Chebet, Joan Chelagat, Emmaculate Chemtai and Elizabeth Wanyama were in camp with Malkia as Prisons left for Tunisia. Two more players, Caroline Cherop and Joan Cheiyo could not be cleared to travel with the team due to a ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government directive requiring players traveling to be part of the Prisons department. 

"We expected a very tough match against Customs in the playoff, as they have improved massively and are a team to watch in the future, but they made errors that made the match easy for us. We had also worked on ensuring we make few mistakes and that plus the experience of the players, won the game for us. I am elated that a second string team was able to get to the podium against tough competition," said Lugh'aho after the match. 

Since Prisons’ four-year dominance was ended by Algier of Algeria in 2014, North African teams have not relinquished the title with record-champions Al Ahly SC bagging four times and Carthage twice, including their Friday night title.

Lungáho, who was in charge when Prisons won Kenya’s last title back in 2013 in Mauritius, singled out sports academies as the vital tool Kenya’s opponents are using to widen the gap.

"Our opponents are doing a lot of investments and the fact that they keep on bringing well established players from Europe is a massive boost for them. If we are to go to the next level we have to go the academy way, build more academies because that is hiw our opponents are beating us,” he said after Prisons were eliminated from the title race by Carthage in straight sets.