Kenya Pipeline secure bronze at Club Championships

Kenya Pipeline's Triza Atuka (left) in action against Petroliers during their third-place play off match during the Africa club volleyball Championship at the e Ahly Sports Hall in Cairo, Egypt on March 25, 2019. 

Photo credit: Pool | CAVB

What you need to know:

  • Pipeline arrived at this competition in an uncertain mode after several of their first teamers including left attacker Noel Murambi, alongside coach Japheth Munala were sensationally poached by rivals Kenya Commercial Bank at the start of this season.
  • But then, new signings Sharon 'the Steel' Chepchumba, setter Esther Mutinda and centre player Gladys Ekrau, all former students at Kwanthanze High School seem to have bonded well with veterans Wanja and Triza Atuka.

Kenya Pipeline captain Janet Wanja has praised the budding talents within the Oilers set-up as the squad on Monday rallied to claim Bronze at the women's Africa club volleyball Championship in Egypt.

Fielding a virtually inexperienced squad, Pipeline defeated Algeria's Petroliers 3-0 (25-22,25-17,25-18) in the third and fourth play-off match at the Ahly Sports Hall in Cairo to finish as the best performing Kenyan side at the continental competition.

Kenya Commercial Bank came in ninth at this seventeen-team event, whilst Prisons were disqualified after off the court squabbles involving the team's management saw the team pull out of the Championship with potentially two fixtures left to play.

By virtue of this result, this new-look Pipeline, coached by ex-international Margaret Indakhala, have booked a ticket to compete at next year's edition of the competition regardless of how the team performs in this season's Kenya Volleyball Federation women's league.

"I am so very impressed. The fighting spirit is still intact and our work ethic is among the best. If we can manage to retain this team and train hard, then next year will be a totally different ball game and we will be in with the chance of winning the continental title," explained the veteran setter.

Pipeline arrived at this competition in an uncertain mode after several of their first teamers including left attacker Noel Murambi, alongside coach Japheth Munala were sensationally poached by rivals Kenya Commercial Bank at the start of this season.

But then, new signings Sharon 'the Steel' Chepchumba, setter Esther Mutinda and centre player Gladys Ekrau, all former students at Kwanthanze High School seem to have bonded well with veterans Wanja and Triza Atuka.

Pipeline defeated Rwanda Revenue Authority, Cameroon's Army side FAP and Egypt's Shooting to make it to this stage of the competition and Indakhala has singled out the Rwandan side for praise, whilst also thanking the team's sponsors for seamlessly managing the transition within her playing squad.