KENYA Pipeline head coach Geoffrey Omondi is hoping to use the Africa Zone V Club Championship as a launchpad for the grand continental showdown— the Africa Club Championship set for April 1-14 in Abuja, Nigeria.
The regional volleyball spectacle, which brings together top clubs from 12 nations, including Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Egypt, serves as a crucial testing ground for the Oilers as they seek to fine-tune their game ahead of the bigger stage.
As the reigning Zone V champions, Pipeline are the sole Kenyan representative in the tournament, which got underway in Kampala, Uganda, on February 26 and runs until March 4.
The championship has attracted over 20 teams—12 men’s and nine women’s sides—vying for regional supremacy. Pipeline, drawn in Pool A, face off against Uganda’s Ndejje Elites, Tanzania Prisons Service and Uganda’s KCB-Nkumba while Pool B features Rwanda’s APR, Uganda’s Sports-S and Visions Volleyball Club (VVC).
Omondi believes the tournament is the perfect dress rehearsal for the continental challenge, but he is also keen on defending Pipeline’s regional crown.
“This tournament is crucial for us as a warm-up for the bigger stage. We also want to defend our title and keep our regional dominance,” Omondi said.
Pipeline made a strong statement in their title defence, sweeping aside Uganda’s Ndejje Elites 3-0 (25- 16, 25-20, 25-23) in their opening match at the MTN Lugogo Indoor Arena in Kampala.
Despite being new to the club, Omondi admitted he is taking each opponent seriously, given his limited familiarity with the competition.
“Being new to Kenya Pipeline, I’m not so conversant with the tournament and so I’m taking each team seriously.” He added: “The competition in Rwanda attracted five teams and now it has seven. I don’t know much about the opposition and so we will weigh every team on the scale.”
Despite his unfamiliarity with the tournament, Omondi was pleased with how his team performed in their opening match.
“We had a good start and I’m happy with how the players handled themselves. The first two sets were comfortable but in the third, Ndejje gave us a challenge. I liked how we responded under pressure. We still have areas to improve, but we’re on the right track,” he added.
