Malkia strikers captain Trizah Atuka is optimistic the African champions will beat Japan in their final pool match game slated for Saturday at 2:00 pm Kenyan time.
"I pray for a good finish in our last match and better results," Atuka said.
Despite their poor performance in the pool matches, the 32-year-old highlighted the invaluable experience the team gained.
"Paris has been good to us and we are enjoying living our dreams. We've been in a tough pool, but we've given our best. The results aren't what we wished for, but we leave with lessons learned," she noted.
Malkia were placed in Pool B alongside Brazil, Poland, and Japan.
They have not recorded any win after suffering a 3-0 loss to Brazil (25-14, 25-13, 25-12) on Monday before going down with a similar set margin of 25-14, 25-17, 25-15 to Poland on Wednesday.
Atuka, however, says she is living her dream after making her maiden Olympic appearance, having missed out on the 2020 Tokyo Games.
"My debut at the Olympics feels great, especially with the leadership role. It's more than I could have asked for," Atuka said.
Atuka was handed the captain's armband during Malkia Strikers' exploits at the Challenger Cup in the Philippines last month. After missing the last Olympics due to injury, Atuka was determined to make the Paris Games.
"It is satisfying to know that I have worked so hard after missing out on the Tokyo Olympics due to a career-threatening injury, which left me uncertain about my future in volleyball," she revealed.
"I didn't want my career to end that way, so I kept pushing. I worked hard, didn't give up, and now I'm here. It feels amazing," she added.
Atuka attributed her comeback to the support she received on and off the pitch.
“It wasn’t an easy journey for me but I’m grateful that God saw me through. I was also lucky to have had a great support system on and off the court that kept pushing me and made me realise that I could do it,” she said.
“When I felt like giving up. During the tough times, I would think of those people who had believed in me and supported me and just didn’t want to let them down,” she added.
