NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 5 – A complete line-up of this year’s national playoff will have to wait a little longer after Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) pulled out of the seventh leg of the Kenya Volleyball Federation (KVF) league set for Friday in Voi, Taita Taveta County.
KDF was scheduled to play Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) in Voi, a fixture that could have completed the full line-up of best four men’s volleyball clubs that will battle it out for the national honour from November 25-27 in Mombasa.
The two sides have been playing cat and mouse game as the battle and the reality of missing a trip knocks on the door with only two legs to go.
With only two teams, surprise leaders Nairobi Water and General Service Unit (GSU) already confirmed their places in the playoff, a clash between KDF and KPA, last year’s third and fourth finishers, who are currently tied on 18 points, will mean that one of Kenya’s top clubs miss a place to the most prestigious volleyball event.
Nyeri based side Soldiers did not factor in this fixture in their annual budget and has instead opted to complete their preliminary league matches during the final leg next month.
This is not the first time this match has been rescheduled. A much anticipated clash between the two titans was pushed back by a month after KPA requested not to play KDF in Homa Bay last month.
But with stakes so high and KDF who trains in the chilly weather in Nyeri, clearly aware the threat posed by KPA in the hot condition similar to the one they are used down in the coast, also backed off, pushing the high stake match to the final day of the preliminary rounds to held either in Ravine or Kisumu.
Water, who are on the summit on 26 points and GSU second on 21 are safely through even though the paramilitary side will have three marathon matches in Voi against Cooperative Bank, Bungoma County and Administration Police. A youthful Water, with only two years experience in the top tier league will maintain the lead if they beat Mount Kenya University.
Kenya Prisons who were also scheduled to play KDF will be under pressure should they succumb to their colleagues from Mombasa. Prisons are third on the log, just a point above KDF.
KPA has a date with Bungoma County and KDF will keenly be following the proceedings of this match knowing well that a win for the Dickers will mean that they beat them and Prisons by straight sets to progress to the play off.
Former women’s national champions, Kenya Prisons are still top of the summit on 15 points from five matches and have nothing to worry as they face KCB, but the bankers, third on the log with just nine points must grab at least a point against the wardresses and beat Nairobi Water who are fifth to keep alive their chance of progressing to the playoffs.
Bungoma County are fourth on eight points and the westerners may book their first playoff berth if either Water or KCB tumbles. Water has a date with Kenya Pipeline who occupies second place. Pipeline’s other match will be against MKU.
Men’s fixtures
GSU vs Coop Bank
Prisons Mombasa vs MKU
Western Prisons vs Nairobi Water
GSU vs AP Kenya
KPA vs Bungoma County
Western Prisons vs Coop Bank
GSU vs Bungoma Country
Kenya Prisons vs Prisons Mombasa
Women’s fixture
Kenya Pipeline vs Nairobi Water
MKU vs Nairobi Water
Nairobi Water vs KCB
Kenya Pipeline vs MKU
Kenya Prisons vs KCB