The rise and rise of Malkia Strikers libero Aggripina Kundu

National women's volleyball team libero, Aggripina Kundu, believes she could be the solution to the problem of poor ball reception that has plagued the team for a long time.

The 30-year-old is away with the team in Rabat, Morocco for a three-week FIVB high performance training camp.

Kundu is the only libero in the 16-member team that is preparing for the July 27-30 Challenger Cup which will be played in France, and the August 6-18 African Nations Championship scheduled for Cameroon.

The Challenger Cup will bring together eight teams, each seeking qualification for the 2023 FIVB Volleyball Nations League (VNL).

Kenya will begin her campaign in the knockout stage of the Challenger Cup against Colombia on July 28, and thereafter take on home team France, Vietnam, Mexico, Ukraine, Croatia and Sweden.

Being a libero, Kundu is the main receiver of serves, and is the first line of defence for her team during attacks.

She is aware of the task ahead.

"It bothers me that at times, poor performance is blamed on poor ball reception, and that pushes me to work even harder to better myself. It has not been easy for me since I made my first appearance for Kenya in 2016, but hard work, perseverance and determination has made all the difference," Kundu,  who is elder sister of  Harambee Starlets goalkeeper Annette Kundu, said.

"I'm working hard here so that we can perform well since I'm the only libero in the team. All eyes will be on me. If I falter or I don't receive the ball well, our attacks can't function well."

"Previously, we have had two liberos in the team but on many occasions I have played the role for Kenya, so I don't feel pressure. If anything, it gives me pleasure knowing that my teammates are relying on me to deliver. I just want to play well so that we can bag points during the Challenger Cup, and the Nations Championship so that we can qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.We have a good team and I believe if we get our act together, we will register good results," added Kundu.

Kundu, who plays for local league champions Kenya Pipeline, has urged Kenya Volleyball Federation to draft more liberos in the team.

"I will not play forever. When that time comes and I call it a day, who will I hand over the baton to? It's unfortunate that talented libero Delphine Misoki was dropped from the team, but I can tell her future is bright. She is confident and that is what makes a good libero. She would have been good company," said Kundu.

Kundu, a natural opposite, credits her quick rise as a libero to KCB women's volleyball team coach, Japheth Munala, who convinced her to take up the role.

"I played football as a student at Kakungu Secondary School in Kakamega County but in December 2008, coach Barasa invited me to a volleyball camp in Kakamega. I didn't know much about the sport then. In fact, I found it boring but I later fell in love with it. I later moved from Kakunga to Malava Secondary School which was performing well in the sport," recollects Kundu.

"After finishing secondary school studies, I moved to KCB, then to Pipeline afterwards. I had power and jump but my height was a barrier and that's when coach Munala advised me to move positions to a libero. At the time I didn't understand the role of a libero well, but he kept on encouraging me since I was good in ball reception. Looking back now, I'm happy I took on the challenge. I don't think I would have made it to the national team and traveled round the world had I remained an  opposite player," she says.

Kundu says her patience earned her a place in the national team, a position she holds to date.

"I received my first national team call-up in 2013, but I was dropped from the team. I was dropped from the team again in 2014 but after coming from maternity leave in 2015, I received another call up. I was about to turn down the offer because I  thought I would be dropped again, but Kenya Volleyball Federation chairman, the late Waithaka Kioni, insisted that I should honour the national team call-up team. At the time, Elizabeth Wanyama was the team libero. We participated in the Intercontinental Olympic qualifiers in Puerto Rico in 2016, and that is where my presence was felt. Since then, I have been a regular starter in the team."