Prisons, KPA take control of volleyball league finals

Kenya Prisons and Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) have taken firm control of the 2025/2026 Kenya Volleyball Federation (KVF) National League finals after securing vital game one victories in a day of high-octane action at the Kasarani Gymnasium Indoor Arena on Friday.

‎In the women's showpiece, Kenya Prisons shut down defending champions Kenya Pipeline to put one hand on the national title.

At the same time, the men's final delivered a five-set epic that saw KPA barely edge out tournament debutants Chema VC.

‎Prisons fired the first warning shot of the weekend, overcoming a fierce challenge from rivals Kenya Pipeline (KPC) to lock down a hard-fought 3-1 victory (25-23, 16-25, 29-27 and 25-23).

The wardresses showed immense championship mentality to claw their way back after a shaky second set, taking complete control of the best-of-three series.

Speaking after the match, Prisons' head coach Josph Barasa praised his squad's resilience but warned that the job is only half done.

"The match was really good. We started off well and took the first set but we had a poor start in the second set. However, we managed to regroup in the third and fourth sets to take the 3-1 win. Tomorrow is a very tough game, it's not easy because this is a final. It's all about mental strength, concentration and focus for tomorrow's game."

On the losing side, the KPC women's head coach admitted that tactical errors cost them the opener but promised a fierce fightback in game 2.

"Today we didn't play well because the things we were supposed to do didn't go well. Our services didn't work, we didn't receive well and even our block defense wasn't good," the Pipeline tactician stated.

"But tomorrow is another day. Tomorrow is more of a mental game than physical. To our fans, don't lose heart, we have another chance at the title tomorrow."

As it stands, Kenya Prisons proceed to day two with a 1-0 lead, where they only need one more win to clinch the national title.

The men's category delivered arguably the most dramatic match of the day as tournament regulars KPA survived a massive scare to edge out newcomers Chema VC 3-2.

The dockers looked comfortable after taking the opening set 25-19, but a relentless Chema VC turned the game on its head, claiming the second and third sets 25-22 and 29-27 to stand to win the match.

KPA utilized their big-match experience to cruise through the fourth set 25-17, forcing a decisive tie-breaker.

In the fifth set, Chema VC looked poised for victory with a commanding 11-6 lead, but KPA launched an extraordinary comeback to steal the set 16-14 and claim maximum control of the series.

A dejected but defiant Chema VC head coach, Jeremiah Mukopi, rued his team's late-game mental collapse and pointed fingers at the match officiating, but vowed to push the series to a decider.

"We have lost, but I still have two more chances to reclaim myself in game 2 and game 3. Mentally we need to be strong. When you are leading, you need to maintain that lead to the end. Tomorrow we are going to sit down as a team, talk and analyse what we have done today and see to it that tomorrow we carry the day," Mukopi said.

Chema VC now head to day two with full focus on making history by clinching the trophy as debutants despite being 1-0 down.