This archive report was first published on 7 January 2020.
Kenya and Cameroon, two of Africa's top volleyball teams, are set to clash in a highly anticipated Olympic qualifier match on Tuesday, January 7, 2020. The match, which will take place at the Palais polyvalent des sports (Paposy) Arena, will have a significant impact on which team secures a spot in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Kenya, the current African Games champions, are second in the group with six points, having beaten Egypt 3-1 and sailed over Botswana 3-0. The team's coach, Paul Bitok, has never lost to Cameroon since taking over last August and will be looking to maintain his 100 percent record.
Cameroon, the African champions, are also on six points, having won their matches against Nigeria and Botswana. However, they will be without the services of influential outside hitter Laetitia Moma Bassoko and libero Raissa Nasser, but coach Jean Rene Akono downplayed their absence.
"We have won and lost to Kenya before even with Moma and Raissa on court. Volleyball is a team sport so we can't say the absence of a few individuals will affect us," said Akono.
Kenya's captain, Christelle Nana, will be expected to provide leadership on court in the absence of Moma. "We know it's a difficult game but we are going out there to enjoy ourselves and concentrate fully on the task ahead," she said.
