Prisons stumble in quarters at Club Championship

Kenya Men’s Prisons team

NAIROBI, Kenya, March 23 – Kenya Prisons men’s volleyball club fairy tale in the ongoing Africa Club Championship came to an abrupt halt on Thursday after they suffered a humiliating defeat in the hands of African giants Ah Ahly of Egypt at Taraji Hall in Tunis, Tunisia.

Ahly overpowered the Kenyan champions by straight sets (25-15, 25-13, 25-19) to crash out in the competition’s quarter final.

The loss means Prisons will have to wait for yet another year to start thinking of winning their first continental trophy.

Ahly, the record African champions with 11 titles seems to have mastered the formula of silencing the Kenyan Warders. In 2011, the Egyptian side who are chasing their record 12th title denied Prisons the trophy on the last hurdle with a 3-0 win in the final.

Prisons did not honour the last edition held in Egypt but their return to continental action ended Thursday with an under 20 defeat. This is the second time since 2013 that Prisons has failed to get past quarter final.

Signs of bad things awaiting Gideon Chenje and his charges in this match came right in the opening set. Prisons surrendered the first set in a shocking 15-25 defeat by the African giants.

Things went from bad to worse for the officers when they lost the second set with even a smaller margin, 25-13 before Ahly wrapped up the game with 25-19 win in the final set to sail to the semis.

Ahly will now face Algeria’s Bourj Bouaririj who upset Cameroon’s FAP in straight sets (25-21, 25-20, 25-15) in the other quarters as Prisons battle it out with the Cameroonian for the 4-8 placement matches.

Libyan side Swehly booked their second consecutive semi final place with 3-0 (25-15, 25-18, 25-28) victory over compatriots Assarya. The will play the winner of the match between Esperance and Etoile du Sahel for the other semis while Assarya plays for the 5 to 8 positions against the loser.

In the 9-16 placement matches, Libyan side Ahly Beni Ghazi (Libya) overpowered Benin Police with a straight sets (25-20, 25-21,25-16) while Espoir Bafia (Cameroon) twice came from behind to outsmart Espoir of Congo 3-2.

-By Elvince Joshua-

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