Kenya women's national volleyball team
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Honours
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The Kenya women's national volleyball team, the Malkia Strikers, represents Kenya in international volleyball competitions. Kenya has dominated the African continent since the 1990s, winning the Women's African Volleyball Championship a record of ten times. They have qualified three times for the Olympics; in 2000, 2004 and for the postponed 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
Kenya also has a beach volleyball team, who were the only women's team at the Tokyo Olympics. Kenya's women's sitting volleyball team did not qualify for Tokyo.
History
Women were not invited to play volleyball at the All-Africa Games until 1978. Those games were in Algiers, Algeria and Kenya did not send a team.[1] The team was there in 1991 for the Volleyball at the 1991 All-Africa Games where they were first.[2] They were also in Cairo when eight teams were present for the 1991 Women's African Volleyball Championship and Kenya again took the gold medal.[3]
Violet Barasa, as national team captain, lead the national team to its appearances at the 2000 Summer Olympics and the 2004 Summer Olympics.[4] At both events they finished eleventh.[5]
In 2006 the team's coach was the Japanese coach Sadatoshi Sugawara who was assisted by Paul Bitok. They contested the FIVB World Championships in Japan although the team was said to lack professional players as the chosen team were students or players who were based in Japan.[6]
In 2007 their coach Sammy Kirongo led them to a seventh
In 2008 they failed to qualify for the 2008 Summer Olympics after they were beaten by Algeria and four years later Algeria again denied them qualification for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.[8]
In 2015
In 2020, under the new head coach of Paul Bitok, Kenya's women's volleyball team won the gold medal at the African Games[10] and they qualified for the postponed 2020 Summer Olympics which was the first time in sixteen years.[5]
2020 Olympics
Kenya women's volleyball team qualified for the postponed
The
The team set off from Kenya for the Olympics in Tokyo in three batches to try and minimise the chances of being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.[16] The team's captain Mercy Moim was chosen to be one of Kenya's flagbearers at the Olympics opening ceremony (Moim was the second woman to be given this honour following archer Shazad Anwar in 2016).[17]
Their opening match was on 25 July in Tokyo against Japan.[18] Surprisingly Paul Bitok was not on the match's touchline, but Brazilian coach Luizomar de Moura was announced as the head coach. He spoke to the press via the team manager.[19] The team lost their first match against Japan in straight sets.[20]
Current squad
The following is Kenya's roster for the 2022 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship[21]
Head Coach: Luizomar de Moura
- 1 Veronica Kilabat S
- 2 Veronica Oluoch OH
- 3 Violet Makuto O
- 5 Sharon Chepchumba O
- 6 Belinda Barasa MB
- 7 Emmaculate Nekesa S
- 10 Noel Murambi OH
- 12 Gladys Ekaru MB
- 13 Yvonne Wavinya L
- 14 Mercy Moim OH
- 15 Lorine Chebet MB
- 16 Agripina Kundu L
- 19 Edith Mukuvilani MB
- 20 Sande Meldinah Nemali OH
Results
Olympic Games
World Championship
- 1994 — 13th place[22]
- 1998 — 13th place[22]
- 2002 — 21st place
- 2006 — 21st place
- 2010 — 21st place
- 2014 — did not qualify
- 2018 — 20th place
- 2022 — 19th place
- 2025 — Qualified
World Cup
- 2019 — 11th place[23]
FIVB World Grand Prix
FIVB Challenger Cup
Women's African Volleyball Championship
All-Africa Games
2021 Beach volleyball Olympic team
Kenya also has a women's national beach volleyball team.
Kenya's beach volleyballers were in the four Continental Cup winners with Argentina, Cuba and China. Kenya has never had a beach volleyball team at the Olympics and they are only the fourth African country to send a team.[29] The four players who qualified will make up Kenya's Olympic beach volleyball team chosen by the coach Sammy Mulinge.[30] They will compete initially with the teams from Brazil, the US and Latvia in pool D at the postponed 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.[31] The volleyballers stayed in Mombasa for training before flying to Tokyo. They were the African champions, but the pandemic meant that many of their future opponents had been able to play more matches.[32]
2021 Sitting Volleyball Paralympic team
Kenya's sitting volleyball team failed to qualify in the round robin contests in Kigali in September 2019. Rwanda won the place putting Egypt into second place in the final.[33]
Previous squads
- 1991 World Cup squad[34]
- Doris Wefwafwa
- Nancy Lijodi
- Anne Wekhomba
- Lena Serem
- Pamela Mukima
- Jane Njeri-Onyango
- Nancy Sikobe
- Lucy Kamweru
- Beatrice Kwoba
- Dorcas Murunga
- Catherine Mabwi
- Mary Ayuma
- 1994 World Championship squad[35]
- Rhoda Vwosi
- Nancy Sikobe
- Helen Elele
- Esther Chepkosgei
- Esther Barno
- Esther Ouna
- Doris Wefwafwa
- Mary Ayuma
- Jacqueline Makokha
- Nancy Lijodi
- Phyllis Anyango
- Anne Wekhomba
- 1998 World Championship squad[36]
- Margaret Indakala
- Catherine Mabwi
- Edna Chepngeno
- Doris Wefwafwa
- Helen Elele
- Dorcas Ndasaba
- Roselidah Obunaga
- Jacqueline Makokha
- Esther Barno
- Mary Ayuma
- Nancy Lusanji
- Judith Serenge
- 2000 Summer Olympic squad[37]
- Dorcas Ndasaba
- Doris Wefwafwa
- Edna Chepngeno
- Emily Wesutila
- Gladys Nasikanda
- Jacqueline Makokha
- Judith Serenge
- Margaret Indakala
- Mary Ayuma
- Nancy Lusanji
- Roselidah Obunaga
- Violet Barasa
- 2002 World Championship squad[38]
- Philister Sang
- Margaret Mukoya
- Rodah Lyali
- Abigael Tarus
- Catherine Wanjiru
- Lucy Chege
- Dorcas Ndasaba
- Salome Wanjala
- Leonidas Kamende
- Violet Barasa
- Nancy Lusanji
- Mercy Wesutila
- 2004 Summer Olympic squad[39]
- Philister Sang
- Abigael Tarus
- Nancy Nyongesa
- Catherine Wanjiru
- Janet Wanja
- Dorcas Ndasaba
- Roselidah Obunaga
- Leonidas Kamende
- Violet Barasa
- Gladys Nasikanda
- Mercy Wesutila
- Judith Serenge
- 2006 World Championship squad[40]
- 2007 World Cup squad[41]
- Jane Wacu
- Diana Khisa
- Doris Palanga
- Catherine Wanjiru
- Janet Wanja
- Dorcas Ndasaba
- Jackline Barasa
- Lydia Maiyo
- Mercy Moim
- Brackcides Khadambi
- Judith Tarus
- Edinah Rotich
- 2011 World Cup squad[42]
- 2015 World Cup squad[citation needed]
- 2018 World Championship squad[43][44]
- 2020 Summer Olympic squad[11]
References
- ^ "Women Volleyball III All Africa Games 1978 Alger (ALG) – Winner Algeria". www.todor66.com. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
- ^ a b "Women Volleyball V All Africa Games 1991 Cayro (EGY) – Winner Kenya". www.todor66.com. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
- ^ a b "Women Volleyball V Africa Championship 1991 Cairo (EGY) Winner Kenya". www.todor66.com. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
- ^ "Volleyball matches in Kenya postponed to honour Baraza". www.fivb.org. 16 February 2007. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
- ^ FIVB. 9 January 2020. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
- ^ "Kenya Drops Two Key Players from World Championships Team". www.fivb.org. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
- ^ "Kenya Wins the trophy and secured World Cup Berth". 31 August 2009. Archived from the original on 31 August 2009. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
- ^ a b c d e "Overview – Kenya – FIVB World Grand Prix 2016". worldgrandprix.2016.fivb.com. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
- ^ a b Makh, Agnes; ia (12 October 2020). "Kenya: The Triumph and Tribulations of Brackcides Agala, Kenyan Volleyball's Icon". allAfrica.com. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
- ^ "PAUL BITOK – Trailblazing Volleyball Coach". Parents Magazine. 10 January 2020. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
- ^ a b "Kenya unveil roster for the Tokyo Olympics". fivb.com. 26 June 2021. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
- ^ a b Ayodi, Ayumba (12 July 2021). "Kenya: Tokyo Another Feather in the Cap for Coach Bitok, Moim and Wacu". allAfrica.com. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
- ^ a b "Kenya Unveil Roster For The Tokyo Olympics". fivb.com. 26 June 2021. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
- ^ "Kenyan volleyball team keen to make up for lost time at Olympics – Xinhua | English.news.cn". www.xinhuanet.com. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
- ^ "Kenyan volleyball team departs for Tokyo Olympics – Xinhua | English.news.cn". www.xinhuanet.com. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
- ^ "PHOTOS: Kenya's volleyball queens step out in style for Olympic showdown". Sports Africa. 9 July 2021. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
- ^ "Moim and Amonde selected as Kenya's flagbearers for Opening Ceremony". www.insidethegames.biz. 18 July 2021. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
- ^ "Kenya Unveil Roster For The Tokyo Olympics". This is Volleyball. 26 June 2021. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
- ^ Japan, Bismarck Mutahi in Tokyo. "Volleyball: Malkia Strikers' Wacu exudes confidence ahead of Japan showdown - Euro2020". Olympics. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
- ^ "Malkia Strikers go down to Japan in Olympics opener". Citizentv.co.ke. 25 July 2021. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
- ^ "Team Kenya". en.volleyballworld.com. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
- ^ a b "Overview – Kenya – FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship Japan 2018". japan2018.fivb.com. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
- ^ "FIVB Volleyball Women's World Cup – Results And Ranking". FIVB. 29 September 2019. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Kenya claim historic 9th African Nations crown in style". Confederation Africaine de Volleyball. 20 June 2015. Archived from the original on 24 September 2018.
- ^ "Egypt defeated Kenya in early final". Confederation Africane De Volleyball. 17 August 2003. Archived from the original on 9 May 2008.
- ^ "Results Final". Confederation Africane De Volleyball. Archived from the original on 24 September 2018.
- ^ "2019 Women's African Nations Championship- Final". Confederation Africane De Volleyball. Archived from the original on 16 July 2019.
- ^ Ernest Ndunda (16 January 2021). "Kenya to compete in annulled Beach Volleyball Olympic qualifiers". The Standard. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
- ^ a b c volleyballworld.com. "Argentina, China, Cuba and Kenya take Olympic berths". volleyballworld.com. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
- ^ "Mulinge names beach volleyball squads for Olympic qualifiers". Citizentv.co.ke. 15 June 2021. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
- ^ Makh, Agnes; ia (6 July 2021). "Kenya's Beach Volleyball Team in Tough Olympic Pool". allAfrica.com. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
- ^ "Kenya's volleyball team ready for Olympic action". Citizentv.co.ke. 21 July 2021. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
- ^ "Rwandan women's sitting volleyball team qualify for Tokyo 2020". www.insidethegames.biz. 17 September 2019. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
- ^ [dead link] "Women Volleyball World Cup 1991 – Teams Composition – Kenya". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
- ^ [dead link] "Women Volleyball XIII World Championship 1994 – Teams Composition – Kenya". todor66.com. Archived from the original on 27 June 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
- ^ [dead link] "Women Volleyball XIII World Championship 1998 – Teams Composition. – Kenya". todor66.com. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
- ^ "Kenyan volleyball team at the 2000 Summer Olympics". Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
- ^ "Women Volleyball XIII World Championship 2002 – Teams Composition. – Kenya". todor66.com. Archived from the original on 27 December 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
- 2004 Athens. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
- FIVB. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
- ^ "Women Volleyball World Cup 2007 – Teams Composition. – Kenya". Archived from the original on 24 October 2007. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
- ^ "Women Volleyball World Cup 2011 – Teams Composition. – Kenya". Retrieved 15 February 2016.
- ^ "MALKIA STRIKERS JETS OFF TO JAPAN FOR THE 2018 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS". Kenya Volleyball Federation (KVF). 20 September 2018. Archived from the original on 2 October 2018. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
- FIVB. Retrieved 2 October 2018.