Owino chuffed as Equity secure historic win over Prisons in KVF

Equity Bank head coach Patrick Owino expressed his delight after his team achieved a rare feat, beating Kenya Prisons,  and securing a dominant 3-0 (25-19, 27-25, 25-20) win in the Kenya Volleyball Federation (KVF) Men’s National League at the Moi International Sports Centre Indoor Arena in Nairobi on Sunday.

“I’m very excited because my players gave their best. It was a tough match, but we were well prepared. In volleyball, everyone is equal to the task, and we came ready for a competitive duel. This is our first-ever win against Prisons, and it’s a fantastic feeling, but it’s just one league match—we still have a long way to go,” he said, adding, “Our goal is to qualify for the playoffs, push for a top-three finish, and compete as serious contenders in the club championships rather than just participants.

Every department performed well today, and I’m happy we got the job done,” Owino remarked.

Owino, who took over coaching duties from veteran coach Sammy Kirongo this season, urged his players to remain focused and avoid complacency as the league progresses.

Meanwhile, Kenya Prisons opposite hitter Michael Chemos admitted that his team was not at its best, citing disorganization and the absence of key players as significant factors in their defeat.

“We are still in the process of building chemistry as a team. If you look at our performances over the weekend, we comfortably won two matches 3-0, but today we lost in straight sets. We need to go back to the drawing board and rectify our mistakes. This result is disappointing and painful, but we still have time to recover before our final regular-season match against Mt. Kenya Base and the playoffs.

 The set score difference shows it was a tough, closely contested match. We are also feeling the absence of Elphas Makuto and Dennis Esokon, but we hope our new players will have settled in by the playoffs in May,” Chemos stated.

Makuto and Esokon, two of Kenya Prisons’ top performers, are currently on professional stints in Rwanda—Makuto with Rwanda National Police and Esokon, the reigning Most Valuable Player (MVP), with Rwanda Patriotic Army.