Wafalme Stars begin African Volleyball Champs with defeat to Tunisia

Head coach Gideon Tarus fielded a strong starting six featuring setter Brian Melly, middle blockers Levis Ogutu and Simon Kosirai, and attackers Enock Mogeni, Nicholas Matui and Dennis Esekon as he hoped to make a bright start at the championship doubling up as the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games qualifiers.

The hosts entered the match high on confidence following a crushing opening win over Ghana on Tuesday, and a victory against Kenya was all they needed to secure a quarterfinal spot. They achieved this in stellar fashion, giving the Wafalme Stars very few openings.

Tunisia drew first blood following a service error from Brian Melly, though Kenya responded immediately when Ben Slimene returned the favor with a faulty serve of his own to level at 1-1. 

The hosts then edged ahead after Ogutu and Esekon touched the net during a block attempt, but Kenya stayed close, capitalizing on another North African service error.

Wafalme Stars fought hard but were let down by reception and backcourt defense-their Achilles heel for a long time- which allowed Tunisia to take advantage and lead 11-7 before Tarus substituted KPA’s attacker Dennis Omolo for Dennis Esekon.

However, little changed as Tunisia extended their lead to 13-7, forcing Tarus to call for Kenya’s first timeout. 

The short break only worsened matters for Wafalme as they stood no chance of making a comeback against a determined Tunisia who stretched their lead to 19-10, prompting Tarus to call for a second timeout.

He subsequently made two substitutions shortly after the break with Dennis Omolo and Enock Mogeni making way for Peter Kamara and Kelvin Kipkosgei but the damage was already done as Tunisia marched on to cruise 25-15.

The second set produced an intense, closely contested tie as an improved Wafalme fought gallantly but narrowly lost 25-23.

Kenya had a bright start, taking an early lead of 3-2 before Tunisia turned it around to lead 11-7.

Tarus then made another change, substituting Kenya Prisons’ setter Kelvin Kipkosgei for Rwanda Police’s Brian Melly.

They closed the gap by two points after the substitution, forcing Tunisia into a first timeout as they led 12-10.

However, Kenya remained resilient as Tunisia staged powerful attacks that were met with powerful blocks from Ogutu and Kosirai, helping the Tarus charges level the score at 19-19, forcing the North African giants into a second timeout.

The hosts came back rejuvenated, staging powerful attacks and taking a 21-20 lead before Tarus called for a break.

The break proved important to Kenya as they displayed their Arsenal to take a 23-22 lead before Tunisia equalized, forcing Tarus to call for a second timeout.

With the second set up for grabs, Tunisia held on brilliantly to win the nervy-ending set 25-23.

The third set saw Tunisia easily cruise 25-15 to complete their straight-set win, maintaining their perfect start to the competition. 

Wafalme will now be looking for redemption against Ghana in their last fixture of Pool A on Wednesday in a must win match as they hunt the quarterfinal ticket.