Kenya Pipeline secure bronze in Africa Club Champs

Kenya Pipeline volleyball team Tuesday secured bronze in the women's Africa Club Championship after coming from behind to record a nail-biting 3-2 win (20-25,25-23,19-25,25-23,15-11) over homeside Carthage in Kelibia, Tunisia.

It was a timely consolation for the Oilers, who had lost to their compatriots KCB 3-0 on Monday, in one of the semifinals. Pipeline finished fifth in last year's edition held at the same venue.

KCB are scheduled to play record holders Al Ahly of Egypt in the final from 8pm Tuesday. Prisons were the last Kenyan team to win the title in 2013 in Madagascar after a hard fought 3-2 over HS Pétroliers of Algeria.

Pipeline coach Paul Gitau made one change to the line up that lost to KCB.

Gitau gave a start to left attacker Noel Murambi, before he moved Pamela Adhiambo in the right attacking position, while Veronica Adhiambo manned the left department.

Triza Atuka and Gladys Ekaru took charge of the middle department.

Upcoming setter Telespory Aluoch and Agripina Kundu were tasked in the setting and libero positions respectively.

The North Africans were off the blocks first as they took early 5-2 and 6-4 leads.

Pipeline closed in on their opponents 9-10 thanks to their watertight blocks, but Carthage got their way back to lead 16-10. They extended the lead to 18-11 as Pipeline offered little resistance.

Murambi and Adhiambo then bagged points as they narrowed the gap to 18-23, but they later faltered as Carthage took the set 25-20.

The second set was equally balanced, but it was Pipeline who took an 8-4 lead as Kundu manned the backcourt.

Ekaru, Murambi and Aluoch then helped Pipeline to squeeze a 16-14 lead.

The agile Tunisians then rallied from behind to tie the scores at 22-22, but it was the East Africans who had the final laugh with a 25-23 win to tie the match.

In the third set, once again Carthage led from the start as Gitau rested Pamela for left-handed Violet Makuto.

Although the substitution was timely, it did little to stop Carthage from taking the set 25-19.

Pipeline later turned the tables on their opponents as they led from the whistle to take the set 25-23 to level the game and set up a fifth set decider.

In the fifth set, both teams tied 6-6 and 8-8, before Pipeline opened slim 10-8, 12-8 and 13-10 leads and eventually held their nerve to win 15-11 and the game 3-2.

Adhiambo led the scoring for Pipeline with a team-high 22 points, while Murambi had 18 points as Makuto and Ekaru contributed 11 and 10 points respectively.

Belarusian international Marina Tumas scored a game high 33 points, while Jihen Mohamed had 25 points for Carthage.

The Kenyans dished out 27 points from unforced errors to Carthage’s 23.