NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 9- African women volleyball giants Malkia Strikers qualified for the semi-finals of the African Women Championship cum World Championship qualifiers in Cameroon on Monday evening with a game to spare after spanking DR Congo by straight sets.
The Kenyan girls will now only look to finish top of the group when they take on North African giants Tunisia on Tuesday evening in the final match of Group B.
The record nine-time African champions picked up their third successive straight sets win having beaten Nigeria on the opening day and sustained a tough charge from Senegal to pick their second win on Sunday.
Triza Atuka and Edith Wisa were in imperious form on the blocks as Japheth Munala’s girls hugely improved their gremlins from their match against Senegal on Sunday. Wisa collected 13 match points while Atuka picked up 12.
As has slowly turned their tradition, Malkia were slower off the blocks and allowed the Congolese who are yet to taste victory in the tournament push them to the wall. However, Kenya’s experience could not be matched as they managed the pressure to go 25-17 up.
In the second set, Kenya kept on the front foot with Munala bringing in Atuka and Jane Wacu as he re-jigged his approach. Malkia led 16-8 by the second technical time out.
They returned to kill off the game with a combination of good blocks and a few of Mercy Moim and Evelyne Makuto’s rocket spikes taking the second set 25-15.
DR Congo started the third set with some pace, clearly ambitious to push the game to the fourth set and give themselves some hope of pulling out a shock.
They benefited from two wide serves and some reception errors, but Kenya were in no mood to let off as they slowly crawled back, skipper Moim and Atuka being at the centre of the assault, Malkia going off to the first technical time out leading 8-5.
DR Congo’s minimal hopes of turning the tables were turned upside down when they only managed two points heading to the second technical time out, the Kenyans comfortably sitting up at 16-7.
They made minced meat of the remainder of the game, Munala’s girls walking off 25-12 winners.
