This archive report was first published on 9 September 2021.
Kenya's national men's volleyball team, Wafalme Spikers, has made history by reaching the quarterfinals of the African Championship after stunning Egypt 3-2 in a thrilling match.
The team, coached by Gideon Tarus and assisted by David Lung'aho, Sammy Mulinge, and Elisha Aliwa, started the match on a low note, losing the first set 25-19. However, they bounced back to take the lead 2-1 after winning the next two sets 25-22 and 25-20.
Despite Egypt's efforts to level the match, Kenya held on to win the final set 15-12, securing a historic victory.
The match was part of Group D, which also saw Morocco defeat Tanzania 3-0 (25-14, 25-14, 25-22). Kenya will face Morocco on Thursday, while Tanzania will face Egypt on Friday.
Elsewhere in the tournament, Cameroon defeated Mali 3-0 (25-16, 25-17, 25-22) in Group C, while DR Congo edged out Niger 3-2 (28-26, 25-23, 21-25, 21-25, 15-11). Tunisia and Nigeria also won their matches in Group B, defeating Ethiopia and Sudan respectively.
Tunisia and Cameroon have already qualified for the quarterfinals, while the top two teams in each group will join them in the next round.
Kenya's quarterfinal appearance is a significant achievement, as the team has not reached this stage since 2007 in South Africa. The top two teams in the tournament will qualify for the 2022 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship.
