GSU out to right the wrongs after false start in Tunisia

Record national volleyball champions General Service Unit (GSU) will descend on court Monday afternoon with an intention of righting their wrongs after losing the opening fixture of the men’s African Clubs Championship which served off Sunday in Tunis, Tunisia.

The Paramilitary side fell 3-0 sets of 25-17, 25-15 and 25-23 to five-time champions Zamalek at the Sidi Bousaid indoor arena and must win against Nigeria Customs to get back on track as the 10-day championship enters second day Monday.

They play the Nigerians starting 12pm at the same venue and will wind up their Group D matches against DRC Congo’s Espoir on Wednesday.

The 14-time local league champions are eyeing a podium finish at this year’s event which has attracted 16 teams.

The other Kenya’s representative in the men contest, Kenya Ports Authority (KPA), and who are drawn in pool A, will Monday play four-time champions Esperance from Tunisia before wrapping up the preliminary round with a match against Rukinzo (Burundi) on Tuesday.

KPA under the tutelage of Sammy Mulinge came from a set down to beat Armee Patriotique Rwandaise of Rwanda 3-2(24-26,25-23,21-25,25-23 and 15-12) on Sunday to start their continental life on high. This is the first time the Mombasa-based team is making appearance in African scene.

In the women’s contest which starts Wednesday in Kelibia, Tunisia, the Kenya Prisons technical director David Lung’aho is optimistic his side can reclaim the title this year after an eight-year hiatus.

Lungáho alongside Azenga Mavisi will be holding the fort while Josp Barasa is away with the national women’s team currently training under a bio-secure bubble ahead of the Olympic Games.

Speaking to Citizen Digital from their base in Kelibia, Lungáho, who was in charge when Kenya Prisons last won the title for Kenya in 2013, believes the blend of young and experience is the perfect solution to end Kenya’s title drought.

“Despite losing some of our players to the national team, we’ve a strong squad which is a mixture of youthful and also experienced players and I believe we will get it right this time round. It’s been a long time since Kenya won the title and I believe this year we can reclaim our glory,” he said.

The local league champions arrived in Tunisia on Sunday to join their compatriots and bronze medalists Kenya Pipeline who arrived three days earlier.

Brazilian Coaches Arrive

Meanwhile, four Brazil High Performance coaches forwarded to Kenya by the International Volleyball Federation FIVB arrived in the country yesterday ahead of their 10-day scouting visit to assess Malkia Strikers.

The quartet of Marcelo Vitorino de Souza, Luizomar de Moura, Roberto Opice Neto and Jeffesron Arosti will fine tune the nine-time African champions before the squad jet out for a month-long training camp in Brazil, starting May 1.

Malkia Strikers are currently training under a bio-secure bubble in Kasarani ahead of the Olympic Games.

After the Brazil outing, the team will then head to Turkey in mid June for a ten-day camp and thereafter depart for Kurume City, Japan where the National Olympics Committee of Kenya NOC-K and the city officials have entered a partnership to allow Kenyan athletes to train there three weeks prior to the Games.