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Hosts and defending champions Kenya ended Nigeria’s hopes of reaching the quarter-finals of the 2026 CAVB Women’s Africa Nations Championship with a 3-0 win in the round of 16.
Kenya, buoyed by home fans, produced a dominant performance to beat Nigeria 25-21, 25-17, 25-15 to advance to the round of 16 of the continental championship.
Nigeria, however, refused to give up without a fight, particularly in the opening set, where the West Africans pushed the defending champions before Kenya eventually prevailed 25-21.
The hosts then stepped up their intensity in the second set, winning 25-17, before completing the series victory with a 25-15 triumph in the third.
Despite the disappointing result, Nigeria coach Elishama Elam praised his young team for holding their own against the defending champions and making Kenya work for the win.
“We fought well. They really played what they deserved. We gave the Kenyans a hard time. It wasn’t just an easy match. It was a good battle,” Elam said.
The coach said the experience would prove invaluable for a Nigerian team going through a rebuilding process, insisting that future meetings with Kenya could produce a different result.
“Being a young team that we’re trying to build, next time we meet, I think the story won’t be like that,” he said.
Elam identified Nigeria’s service errors as one of the key factors that denied his team the opportunity to make the opening set even more competitive.
“If you look at the first set that we lost to the Kenyans 25-21, there were eight service errors. If we had only converted four, you can see that the score would have been different,” he explained.
With Nigeria eliminated from the championship race, Elam now aims to finish the competition successfully through the classification matches.
“Now we prepare for the ranking match. We hope to finish in ninth or tenth place, by the special grace of God,” the coach said.
Meanwhile, Algeria also secured their place in the quarter-finals after beating Senegal 3-0, winning 25-15, 25-17 and 25-16.
Uganda joined the quarterfinals after recording another straight-sets win, beating DR Congo 25-16, 27-25, 25-18.
Four more matches in the round of 16 will be decided on Sunday.
Rwanda will face Burkina Faso, Zambia will face Ghana, while Egypt will face Burundi. Tunisia and Mali will then conclude the day’s program of the round of 16.
As Kenya’s march towards another continental title continues, Nigeria must now quickly regroup for the classification stage, with Elam hoping his young team can end the tournament on a positive note.
