Soweto, Ruthimitu outclass rivals to defend Nairobi Region volleyball titles

Soweto Academy and Ruthimitu Secondary School on Sunday defended their regional volleyball titles in the girls' and boys' categories after edging Brown Hill Secondary School and Hospital Hill High School in jaw-dropping final clashes of the Kenya Secondary School Sports Association (KSSSA) Nairobi region school games held at Jamhuri High School.

In the girls' final, Soweto defended their crown emphatically after making light work of Brown Hill in straight sets.

Brown Hill served off the game in top-gear, with powerful attacks that troubled Soweto Academy, leading 9-5 and prompting Soweto’s head coach Wycliffe Wafula to call a time-out.

The short break paid off as Soweto, who looked out of place early on, gained momentum to claw back, reducing the deficit to 16-15.

That prompted Brown Hill to call their own time-out to rethink their strategy as their lead was in danger of collapsing.

However, things worsened as Soweto’s brilliance continued; their powerful attacks and excellent services gave them a 21-17 lead, prompting Brown Hill to call a second time-out.

The Embakasi-based school crumbled and eventually lost the first set to the defending champions 25-21.

The second and third sets were no different as Soweto spanked hapless Brown Hill 25-20 and 25-16 respectively.

Head coach Wycliffe Wafula was in awe of his girls’ impressive display especially in the opening set.

“I want to appreciate the girls for the great display. I told my girls to be calm and receive the ball well while attacking when we were down and it paid off. We are now going to work with the aim of lifting the national title,’’ said Wafula.

Ruthimitu, on the other hand, dismantled Hospital Hill 3-1 to lift the boys' title.

The 2023 national champions served off the game well, taking the first set 25-21 before Hospital Hill responded back with a similar score in the second set.

However, the reigning champions got their mojo back, taking the third and fourth sets 25-17 and 25-22 respectively.

It is the fifth time the Dagoretti-based school has defeated the Nyari-based school in the volleyball final since 2021 with their only defeat coming in 2024.

Head coach Gideon Njine could not hide his joy after their emphatic display.

“I thank God for the victory; the boys gave everything on the pitch. However, we need to improve our blocks and backcourt defence going into the nationals. I’m confident we can repeat the 2023 heroics.”

Captain Dannis Ngige echoed his words, promising an entertaining game at the national extravaganza.

“We wanted to beat Hospital Hill in straight sets but we’ve seen the areas we need to work on. We will put in more effort and bring the national title back to Nairobi,” said Ngige.

In beach volleyball, Upper Hill secured their maiden title after outplaying all their opponents while the girls' final was rescheduled for Monday.

Raila Education Centre won the Netball competition after stunning Pangani Girls in a mouth-watering final.

Merryshaw School won the newly introduced Lacrosse competition in the boys' category, while Buruburu Girls secured their maiden girls' title.

The champions will now represent the Nairobi region at the KSSSA School Games scheduled from July 28 to August 1 at M-Pesa Academy in Thika.