NAIROBI, Kenya, August 31, 2026 – National women’s volleyball team captain Meldina Sande has warned against getting carried away by their unbeaten run thus far at the Africa Nations Championships in Nairobi.
The Rwanda Police outside hitter admits Malkia Strikers have not been unblemished in their run thus far, pinpointing their tendency to slacken off at the tail-end of their matches.
“We have played well and our energy is superb but I would love for us to remain active until the end of the very last set. We do not need to be making silly errors just because we are leading by a big margin. We also need to improve on our reception because once we do that then everything else flows well,” Sande said.
Another area of concern for the skipper is the timing of their blocks, which Sande feels can become a cropper against a more established opponent.
“We need to do well with the timing of our blocks. The coach has noted the same and we will go and improve on that in training,” she revealed.
The African champions have been absolutely peerless in the continental showpiece, making light work of Zambia, Mali and Nigeria without losing a single set.
Their latest victims were Nigeria who they thrashed 25-21, 25-15 and 25-17 in one-sided Round of 16 encounter at the Kasarani Indoor Arena on Saturday night.
Up next is a banana peel of a fixture against Algeria in the quarterfinal on Tuesday.
The North Africans are also unbeaten in their previous matches in the showpiece, beating Burundi and Senegal — a fact which makes the last eight tie a tantalising one for the purists.
Noteworthy though is Kenya’s superior head-to-head record against Algeria, Geoffrey Omondi’s side having won seven of their last eight duels at the competitive level.
Their last meeting was at the 2023 African Games in Accra, Ghana where Kenya easily triumphed 3-0.
Regardless, Sande is paying no attention to history, noting that the worst mistake they can do is to underrate their opponents.
“Any team that reaches the round of 16 or the quarterfinals is a very good team. Going forward, we are going to put our best foot in front. We want to win in straight sets as we ultimately look to reaching the final,” she said.
The record champions’ ultimate goal is to bag an 11th crown, which would also guarantee a place at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
However, that will depend on erasing the ‘schoolgirl’ mistakes lest they suffer the embarassment of an early exit on home soil.
Far be it from a team that has been there and done that as far as dominating Africa is concerned.
