2006 Women's World Championship:

Kenya Drops Two Key Players from World Championships Team
Nairobi, Kenya, August 22-: Turkey based left attacker Violet Barasa who is the only professional player in the Kenyan women national team currently preparing for the coming World Championships in Japan and right attacker Asha Makuto have been dropped.
As the national team intensified its preparations for the world event at their camp in Karura, Japanese born veteran volleyball coach Sadatoshi Sugawara who is handling the Kenyan team was forced to drop the two key players after they failed to pass medical fitness test.
While Makuto was in the team which helped Kenya win the recent Malta Guinness sponsored Four Nations Tournament which brought together Egypt, Cameroon and Nigeria, Barasa was left out after being found to be unfit for the tournament.
After the Four Nations Tournament, coach Sugawara recalled Barasa to give her another chance of making the team but she failed to match the rest in camp prompting the coach to drop her which means Kenya will be traveling to Japan without a professional player in the team since the current squad is made of schoolgirls and local based players.
“The sort of training the team is undergoing ahead of the World Championships is so vigorous that only those who are medically fit will make the final squad to Japan,” said Sugawara at the team’s training camp.
The Japanese tactician who is being assisted by local coaches David Lung’aho and Paul Bitok said due to time factor he was not going to call any more players to the team as any of the 17 players in camp are capable of switching positions and taking over from Barasa and Makuto who have been regular players in the team and have participated in Olympic Games and World Championships.
Among those who are likely to take Barasa’s position are veteran Telkom Kenya player Dorcas Ndasaba, Catherine Wanjiru from Kenya Pipeline and Lydia Maiyo while those likely to replace Makuto who plays for Kenya Pipeline are team captain Lucy Chege who is her club mate and Diana Kihisa.
Apart from Barasa and Makuto who played crucial roles during Kenya’s campaign for qualification for the World Championships in which they beat Algeria 3-2 sets in a mouth watering final at Moi International Sports Centre Kasarani last year, right attacker Diana Khisa has briefly been sidelined after sustaining injury during training.
Speaking at the team’s training camp where he visits on daily basis to give the players morale support, Kenya Volleyball Federation (KVF) President Waithaka Kioni said as a federation they were very impressed with the work Sugawara and his team of coaches were doing.
“I am very grateful to the Japanese for seconding Sugawara to our national team since the experience he has will see our team improve on its performance during this year’s World Championships in Japan,” said Kioni.
By Jack Kwemba, from Nairobi, Kenya
 

Kenya Win 4-Nations Tournament in World Championship Preparation
Nairobi, Kenya, July 19: Kenya will be going to the World Championships in Japan this November in high spirits after winning the Four-Nation Pre World Championships tournament in Nairobi on Sunday. The “African Queens”, as the Kenyans are fondly known at home drubbed Egypt 3-1 (25-12,25-21,26-24,25-23) to win the three-day tournament staged at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani Gymnasium.
Kenya finished the tournament unbeaten having dropped only one set. Their key match against the Egyptians was watched by a capacity of 6,000 crowd that broke into song and dance immediately it was clear the home team was set for victory. Kenya had earlier beaten both Nigeria and Cameroon with identical 3-0 victories. The two sides also lost to the Egyptians although Cameroon managed a set.
Nigeria went on to beat World Championship bound Cameroon 3-0 (25-14, 25-21, 25-19) to finish third. Kenya, Cameroon and Egypt all going to Japan and were using the tournament as part of their preparations.
At the end of the tournament, Kenya Dorcas Ndasaba was named the Most Valuable Player. Others were: Best Setter: Asta Gamkouam (Cameroon), Best Receiver: Abdel Fatah (Egypt), Best Attacker: Ngo Nkot (Cameroon), Best Libero: Judy Tarus (Kenya), Best Blocker: Jalmet Ladi (Nigeria) and Best Server: El Shamy Ingy (Egypt).
Kenya took only 98 minutes to win the match against Egypt. They started the match forcefully giving the visitors little time to settle. “Our plan was to go full blast in the first two sets and it worked,” said Kenya head coach David Lung’ahu. He said the tournament had given him a clear view of what the girls can do ahead of the Japan tournament. “We shall be looking at our strong and weak areas with a view to getting the right formation for the World Championships,” He added.
The Kenyans broke camp for one week before resuming training on Monday. Their technical bench will be boosted by the presence of Japanese veteran coach Sudatoshi Sugawara who has been contracted to prepare the team for the World Championships. Eighteen players will be proceeding to camp.
They are Jane Wairimu, Janet Wanja, Rodah Liyali, Lucy Chege, Catherine Wanjiru, Viola Jebichii, Diana Khisa, Lidia Maiyo, Kamende Mwikali (Kenya Pipeline), Doris Muyekho, Judith Tarus, Violet Barasa (Kenya Commercial Bank), Ednah Rotich, Jackline Barasa, Doris Palang’a, Odwako Mildred (Ulinzi), Dorcas Ndasaba (Telkom).
Other members of the technical bench are Sammy Kirongo, Juma Walukhu, Paul Gitau and Paul Bitok.
Tournament results:
Egypt v Cameroon: 3-0 ( 25-19,25-13,25-23.
Kenya v Nigeria: 3-0 (25-20, 25-14, 25-17)
Nigeria V Egypt: 1-3 (15-25,20-25,25-21,22-25)
Cameroon v Kenya: 0-3 (23-25,15-25,16-25)
Cameroon v Nigeria: 0-3 (14-25,21-25,19-25)
Kenya v Egypt: 3-1 (25-12,25-21,24-26,25-23).
Photo Captions:
1. Kamende Mwikali of Kenya spiking against Egyptian block.
2. Mona Badawy of Egypt spiking against Kenya block.
3. Kenyan Women team, the winner of the four nations Championship.

By Finny Muyeshi: Kenya Volleyball Federation Press Officer

Egypt Women start active preparation in Kenyan Tournament
Cairo, Egypt, July 7-: Egypt Volleyball Women team will start an important stage in the long term preparation for the 2006 World Championship to be held in Japan next November through the participation in the 4 Nations Championship in Kenya alongside with the organizers Kenya, Cameroon and Nigeria. The competition will be held in Kasarani Hall in the Kenyan Capital of Nairobi 13-15 current July.
The competition will be the first action for the new head Coach, Juan Martinez of Cuba who started his work with the team in May 2006 after signing a contract with the Egyptian Volleyball Federation to lead the team in the prestigious FIVB World Championship and he will be aided by the Egyptian assistant coach Mamdouh Ismail.
The Egyptian team will leave for Nairobi in the 11th of July to participate in the competition which will show the four teams playing a round robin format. Three teams in this tournament had already qualified to the finals of World championship; Egypt, Kenya and Cameroon and they will be the only African representative in Japan, while Nigeria is the runner up of the last African Nations Championship in their homelands.
The Cuban coach chose 12 players for this competition but he will lose the outstanding star Sarah Talaat the best libero in Africa who was injured and had a knee surgery. The team will miss also five essential players of the Under 20 team because they were involved in the end year exams. The team list includes Yosra Abdelkarim, Miral Raouf (Setters), Ingy Elshamy, Mona Adly, Mena Allah Mohamed (Middle Blockers), Sherihan Sameh, Nagwa Elmasry, Dina Mahmoud, Nouran Elmaghawry (Wing spikers), Tahani Tosson, Sammar Mohsen (Opposites) and Nahla Sameh (Libero).
Egypt started the preparation on 18th May, then they started the camp in the Olympic Centre in 17 June after most of the players ended their school exams before they played three matches with the local clubs.
Egypt was drawn in Pool D in the finals of the World Championship with Italy, Peru, Turkey, Cuba and Serbia Montenegro as their aim is to qualify top the second round.

Tunisia start preparations in Italy without the experienced stars
Tunis, Tunisia July 3-: Tunisia will start this week end the preparations to 2006 World Championship to be held in Japan next November through a local camp followed by participation in the three Nations tournament in Italy 10-14 July. This tournament will feature the organizers Italy, Iran as well as the Tunisian team which will be one of two teams with Egypt to represent Africa in the prestigious event in Men's category.

The team having the African record of winning the continental championship will miss two of the most experienced players; Noureddine Hfaiedh and Chaker Ghazal due to injuries although the former is doing now negotiations to a new transfer to a Japanese club after he ended this season in the French club of Tour. The wing spiker Hosni Karmosli and the setter Ghazi Guidara will be the main nucleus of the updated team.

The provisional Tunisian line up include 14 players with four new comers; Ayman Breek, Saif Hamam, Hesham Elkaabi and Mohamed Ben Soliman in the framework of the new strategy of the Italian head coach of the team Jiacobe Antonio who wants to inject new blood after the team lost the continental leadership following the defeat against Egypt in the final of the 2005 African Nations Championship in Cairo last September.

After the Italian tournament the Tunisian team will compete in another competition in Canada in September 2006 before leaving to Korea in the final part of the preparations before going forwards to Japan to participate in the World Championship.

2006 Volleyball World Championships:
Kenya Names Provisional Squad of 22 players
Nairobi, Kenya May 30-: Kenya has named a 22-member provisional national women volleyball team squad which proceeds to camp in early June to prepare for 2006 World Championships to be held in Japan in October.
Dropped from the team which will later be trimmed to 12 players is Salome Wanjala of Kenya Commercial Bank and Kenya Pipeline libero player Mercy Wesitula whose place is likely to be taken by Ulinzis Mildred Odwaka who has made a comeback having been dropped at the eleventh hour when Kenya left for 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.
Parting with the tradition of camping at Moi International Sports Centre Kasarani, the team which includes 12 players from former African Women Club Championships champions Kenya Pipeline, three from current champions Kenya Commercial Bank, four from Ulinzi and one from Telkom Kenya will camp at exclusive world class Kenya Pipeline premises in Karura Forest.
Addressing a major press conference during the naming of the team, Kenya Volleyball Federation (KVF) President Waithaka Kioni said the five coaches who had been given the task of coming up with the provisional squad had a free hand in doing the job.
As a federation we decided to give the coaches a free hand to select the players since they are better placed to do so. We shall now embark on preparing the team for the World Championships and at the end of it all we hope the 12 players who will make the final team will do us proud in Japan, said Kioni.
Apart from Sammy Mulinge who was dropped as assistant coach, David Lungaho who doubles up as national team and Kenya Pipeline coach was among the panel of five coaches who did the selection of the provisional squad.
Others in the panel of coaches included Telkom Kenya and former assistant national team coach Paul Gitau, Kenya Commercial Bank coach Paul Bitok, Juma Walukhu of Ulinzi and Sammy Kirongo of Telkom Kenya.
After trimming the team to 12 players two coaches who will be retained to travel with the team to Japan will be joined by Japanese veteran tactician Sudatoshi Sugawara before they jet out to Japan for another spell of training ahead of the lucrative World Championships.
Only one professional player Violet Barasa who plays her trade in Turkey has been called to the team while all the USA based players Roselidah Obunagah, Edna Chepngeno, Hellen Elele and Rose Nyongesa have been left out in preference to local based upcoming players.
Some of the experienced players in the team are Dorcas Ndasaba, Asha Makuto, Judith Serenge, Leonidas Kamende, Violet Baraza and Lucy Chege who have been to the Olympic Games and World Championships.
SQUAD: Janet Wanja, Lucy Chege, Viola Rotich, Jane Wacu, Leonidas Kamende, Judith Serenge, Anastasia Macharia, Lydia Maiyo, Asha Makuto, Emily Jemutai, Catherine Wanjiru, Daina Khisa (Kenya Pipeline), Violet Baraza (Turkey), Sarah Jepchumba, Judith Tarus, Doris Muyekho (Kenya Commercial Bank), Mildred Odwako, Edna Rotich, Doris Palanga, Jackline Baraza (Ulinzi), Dorcas Ndasaba (Telkom Kenya); COACHES: Paul Gitau, Sammy Kirongo (Telkom Kenya), David Lungaho (Kenya Pipeline), Paul Bitok (Kenya Commercial Bank), Juma Walukhu (Co-operative Bank).
By Jack Kwemba from Nairobi, Kenya