Wafalme Stars edge Ghana for first win in African Nations event
Wafalme Stars middle blocker Brian Kamonde (left) and captain Enock Mogeni celebrate a point against Ghana during their African Nations Championship match at Cairo International Stadium on September 06, 2023.
What you need to know:
- The win means Wafalme Stars finish third in Group C with two points and will therefore meet the second-placed team in Group A.
- Libya finished top with nine points after beating Cameroon (six points) 3-1 in another Group C match while Ghana settled bottom with a point.
In Cairo, Egypt
“Kenya means business, we will be coming hard at you!”
That was the message from Wafalme Stars captain Enock Mogeni Wednesday after Kenya rallied twice from behind to beat Ghana 3-2 (23-25,25-21,16-25,25-17,15-11) and register their first win at the ongoing CAVB African Nations Championship.
Mogeni, who has been fielded sparingly in this tournament with Abiud Chirchir preferred at opposite, came off the bench in the fourth set to inspire Wafalme Stars to victory with an impressive display at an unfamiliar position--outside hitter.
With Ghana leading 2-1 in set scores and the fourth set evenly poised at 11-11, Kenya coach Gideon Tarus gambled and introduced Mogeni for outside hitter Dennis Omollo.
And the gamble paid off as Mogeni made an instant impact contributing three points in a row to help Kenya win the set 25-17 and force the decider. Mogeni remained on court and was an influential figure as they edged out Ghana 15-11 to secure third place in Group C with two points.
He contributed a total of seven points from the bench in a game that Simion Kipkorir led Kenya with 20 points (15 kills, 4 blocks, 1 ace) while teammates Abiud Chirchir and Cornelius Kiplagat also reached double digits with 16 and 12 points respectively.
Ghana's outside hitter Ibrahim Abdul Hameed attacks against Kenya during their African Nations Championship match at Cairo International Stadium on September 06, 2023.
Ghana's Ibrahim Abdul Hameed scored a game-high 26 points (19 kills, 4 blocks, 3 aces) while teammate Richard Amanor added 13 points.
It was a crucial win for Kenya, who will now meet Egypt, who finished second in Group A, in the Round of 16 Friday. Libya won Group C unbeaten with nine points after beating Cameroon 3-1. Ghana settled bottom with just one point.
An elated Mogeni said the 3-2 win over Ghana had lifted the morale of the team and they are now determined to go one better than the previous edition held in Rwanda in 2021 when they bowed out at the group stages missing out on a place in the quarter-finals.
“As captain, I am always ready to fight for the team whether I start on the bench or among the first team. We were a bit down on position 4 and the coaches asked me if I could play there. I am happy that I made a difference with blocks and attacks and eventually we won,” said Mogeni.
“This win is very important for us because it has lifted our morale. Our confidence is at an all-time high and we are ready for any opponent. We are now heading to the knockout stage and we mean business. Any team that comes our way will not have it easy against Wafalme Stars,” underlined the Kenya skipper.
Wafalme Stars captain Enock Mogeni celebrates a point against Ghana during their African Nations Championship match at Cairo International Stadium on September 06, 2023.
Kenya coach Gideon Tarus said he was impressed by the fighting spirit of his charges heading into the crucial knockout stage.
“The boys have been improving with every game and I think today they showed they are ready for the knockout stage. We needed a win of any kind and we got it through their amazing fighting spirit.
“We have watched our opponents and we are going to analyse them to come up with a good game plan for the Round of 16. Our reception was stable today which is a good sign moving forward,” said Tarus.
Ghana's outside hitter Richard Amanor attacks as Kenya's opposite Abiud Chirchir blocks during during their African Nations Championship match at Cairo International Stadium on September 06, 2023.
Libya continued their fairy-tale run in this competition with a convincing 3-1 win over Cameroon to finish top of Group C and will now enjoy a day off on Friday as Group A only had three teams. They are the first team to qualify for the quarter-finals.
In Round of 16, Cameroon will face off with Burundi who finished third in Group A without a point.
Group A winners Algeria will meet Ghana while defending champions Tunisia will take on Senegal after a flawless run that yielded maximum nine points in Group B.
Group C results
Kenya 3-2 Ghana
Libya 3-1 Cameroon
Round 16 pairing
Kenya v Egypt
Algeria v Ghana
Cameroon v Burundi
Morocco v Mali
Rwanda v Tanzania
Gambia v Chad
Senegal v Tunisia
Libya (bye)
