This archive report was first published on 24 August 2019.
Published on August 24, 2019, in Rabat, Morocco, Gilbert Kiprotich witnessed a blistering start to the African Games title defense by the National women volleyball team, Malkia Strikers.
Under the guidance of Paul Bitok, Kenya edged their rivals 25-22 in the first set before winning the second set 25-21.
However, it was in the third set that Kenya struggled against the African Champions, losing 25-16 to allow the West Africans back into the game.
Kenya regrouped in the fourth set to win 25-17, handing Bitok a win in his first assignment as the new Malkia Strikers head coach.
Bitok opted for experience in his starting lineup, with the likes of Jane Wacu, Evelyn Makuto, and Mercy Moim getting slots.
"I think we played well apart from the third set where we struggled a bit on reception. I can say so far so good but we still have a lot of work to do. It is not only about Cameroon, there is also Senegal which is a good team," observed Bitok.
Kenya will take on Senegal on Monday, with a win taking them to the semis and for Bitok, it's nothing short of a win.
"We cannot underrate Senegal because our aim is to finish as the winners in our pool so that we can be paired with the runners-up team at the semis," said Bitok.
