Serbian legend Vladimir Grbic awed by progress of Kenya’s volleyball queens
Serbian volleyball legend Vladimir Grbic speaks during an interview with Nation Sport at Kovilovo Sports Centre in Belgrade, Serbia on September 17, 2022.
What you need to know:
- Malkia Strikers lose first friendly match by straight sets to Serbian champions Red Star Belgrade
- The former Serbian international heads FIVB Volleyball Empowerment Commission which sponsored Kenya’s two-month training camp in Brazil
In Belgrade, Serbia
Serbian volleyball legend, Vladimir Grbic, is impressed by the progress that the Kenya women’s volleyball team has made since the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) took Malkia Strikers under its wings through the Volleyball Empowerment Programme.
Former Serbian international Grbic is the president of the FIVB Volleyball Empowerment Commission which sponsored Kenya’s two-month training camp in São Paulo, Brazil in preparation for the global championships set for September 23 to October 15 in the Netherlands and Poland.
The FIVB Volleyball Empowerment Programme also supported the team’s preparations for last year’s Tokyo Olympics by forwarding four Brazilian coaches, led by Luizomar de Moura.
Speaking on Saturday evening when he visited the team at Kovilovo Sports Centre here in Belgrade, Grbic was elated at how Kenya has grown under the guidance of Luizomar whom he described as “one of the best youth coaches in the world.”
“When I first met this team in Kenya, I could see passion for the game in them and recommended them for this (Volleyball Empowerment) programme. The Brazilians have been with this team for two months and you can see that the level has really gone up from the last time they were preparing for the (Tokyo) Olympics,” said Grbic, who played professional volleyball in Italy, Brazil, Greece and Turkey.
“They competed at a good level during the Olympics despite having little time to prepare under coach Luiz who is gifted in developing players. I expect them to perform much better at the World Championships after what I have seen today,” he added.
The Malkia Strikers are in Serbia courtesy of sponsors Mozzart Bet and are scheduled to play two friendly matches.
The Kenyan girls will play a second friendly match against Serbia’s ‘B’ team (the national Under-23 team).
Grbic says the two friendly matches will complement the more than 10 build-up matches that Kenya played in Brazil and give the technical bench a clear picture of the team with just a week to the World Championships that begins next Friday.
“FIVB is committed to helping Kenya and this is a project that is so dear to me. We have several new faces in the team and you can see that they are players who have the potential to reach the highest level.
“This shows that Kenya has a lot of untapped talent and the success of this project will definitely inspire the next (Mercy) Moim, (Sharon Chep)Chumba, (Jane) Wacu or (Aggripina) Kundu,” Grbic, who also thanked Mozzart Bet for chipping in to support the final leg of Kenya’s preparations in Serbia, told Nation Sport.
Grbic, a FIVB Hall of Famer, remarkably rose from the Serbian town of Novi Sad to become Olympic champion in 2000 with Yugoslavia in Sydney, Australia.
He draws similarities between him and Kenyan players from his volleyball journey and believes Malkia Strikers will soon be a force to reckon with at global competitions.
“I started playing volleyball outdoors without shoes but I was really passionate about the sport. This helped to reach the level I played at. These girls also have genuine passion for the game and they have worked so hard over the last two months in Brazil.
“We hope to see good results in Netherlands because there is a possibility to qualify for the second round. They just need to win two matches and it’s something they are capable of,” noted Grbic.
The newly formed FIVB Volleyball Empowerment Commission aims to develop the sport through initiatives that will help professionalize the administration of national federations, provide support in the advancement of national team programs and ultimately create role models for millions of fans.
The viability of the Kenyan project will be hugely tested at the World Championships where Malkia Strikers need to win two matches in the first round in order to qualify for the second round for the first time in seven appearances.
Kenya is in Pool ‘A’ alongside hosts Netherlands, European and VNL champions Italy, Belgium, Cameroon and Puerto Rico. They open their campaign against the Netherlands on Friday.
