This archive report was first published on 12 July 2019.
On Thursday night in Cairo, Egypt, Kenya's national women's volleyball team, the Malkia Strikers, pulled off a remarkable comeback to top Pool B of the African Nations Championship.
Trailing 2-0 in sets, the Kenyans fought back to win 3-2, setting up a favorable semi-final clash against Senegal, who finished as runners-up in the other group.
Cameroon had taken the first two sets 25-18 and 25-16, but the Kenyans staged a dramatic turnaround, winning the next two sets 27-25 and 30-28, before taking the tiebreaker 15-10.
Defending champions Cameroon will now face Egypt in the other semi-final matchup on Saturday.
According to head coach Shailen Ramdoo, key players made the difference in the game, allowing the team to gain control.
"We were not fully in the game compared with our opponents, but key players changed the game and we were able to gain control of the game," Ramdoo said in an interview with Citizen Digital.
With the focus now on the semi-final match against Senegal, veteran setter Jane Wacu believes the comeback will be a source of inspiration for the team to improve.
"We thought we were losing it 3-0, but these girls have the stamina and I know Cameroon now respects us. I believe we will play them again in the final and we won't let Kenyans down, we are coming home with the trophy," Wacu said.
Wacu also called on Kenyan fans in Egypt to support the team, as they face opponents who are receiving enormous applause from football fans in Egypt for the Africa Cup of Nations.
