Dj Vnyash
In Paris
On Wednesday night, Malkia Strikers suffered their second defeat at the Paris Olympics, losing to Poland. Despite outside hitters Pamela Adhiambo and Veronica Adhiambo standing out as the top scorers in this Pool B match at the South Paris Arena, their efforts weren’t enough to secure Malkia Strikers’ first win at the Games. The team fell to Poland, the Women’s Nations League bronze medalists, with scores of 25-14, 25-17, and 25-15.
Pamela, who was the second-best scorer in the previous match against Brazil, led the scoring with 14 points, including 13 kills and one block. Veronica contributed with 11 kills and two blocks.
The ten-time African champions started strong in the first two sets, with Pamela and Veronica putting pressure on the Polish defense with powerful attacks. However, they couldn’t maintain their momentum, losing the first two sets 25-14 and 25-17.
Although they displayed moments of brilliance in their attack, poor reception plagued the team, allowing Poland to take control and win the final set 25-15, securing their place in the quarter-finals.
Pamela, who has stepped up in the absence of injured attacker Sharon Chepchumba, expressed her joy in being the match’s top scorer. “Even though we didn’t win, I’m thrilled to be the best scorer. This shows our improvement, and I’m confident we will secure our first win soon. Poland has a solid defense, but we still managed to score against them.
“If we prepare well for the match against Japan, we can achieve a victory and end our wait for a win. I hope everything will fall into place for us on Saturday,” she stated.
Setter Esther Mutinda highlighted her team’s issues with concentration in the final stages of each set. “We start off strong but let our opponents surpass us. We seem to give up when they take the lead, making it hard for us to catch up,” she remarked.
Head coach Japeth Munala remains optimistic about their chances for a first win, focusing on the upcoming match against Japan. “We are improving with every game, and scoring 17 points against Poland gives me hope for our first set win. Our attacking game improved, but our reception wasn’t up to par this time.
“To secure a victory against Japan, we need to perform well in all areas,” Munala concluded.
Kenya will finish their preliminary matches on Saturday against Japan, who recently lost to Poland with a score of 3-1.
