Kenya Pipeline captain Triza Atuka has said it is still too early to celebrate despite the team coming from a set down to beat FAP of Cameroon 3-1 (22-25, 25-8, 25-18, 25-12) to top Pool ‘C’ as the African Club Championship preliminary stage ended in Cairo, Egypt yesterday.
Atuka said the real work awaits them from tomorrow when the quarter-finals matches get underway.
“We took every game at a time and here we are. However, we are not celebrating just yet, the real championship now takes centre stage in the quarter-finals on Friday (tomorrow),” said Atuka.
“We are aware it’s not going to be easy but we just want to prepare well, remain positive and go out there and play good volleyball. We are still viewed as the underdogs in the championship, considering we have rookies in the team and that is really pushing us to perform well and deliver good results.”
With the win, the African bronze medallists topped Pool 'C' in an unbeaten run, accumulating nine points, three ahead of FAP.
Pipeline had earlier in the week beaten Rwanda Revenue Authority and in straight sets.
"We had a real scare in the first set. The West Africans came at us strongly, setting a wide gap which was difficult for us to close. However, we discovered some weak blocks on the flanks which we capitalised on to emerge victorious," added Atuka.
In Pool ‘A’, champions and hosts Ahly and Canon of Nigeria booked their quarter-final slots.