LJUBLJANA, Slovenia, Sep 11 – Kenya lost her second FIVB World Under-23 Championship match on Tuesday afternoon, going down by straight sets (4-0) to European Giants Bulgaria at the Sportna Dvorana Tivoli Hall.
The junior Malkia Strikers had started off the campaign of their first ever World Championship with a similar thrashing at the hands of defending champions Brazil and it didn’t get better on day two when they lost by a similar margin in scores of 15-1, 15-5, 15-6, 15-11.
The East Europeans jumped out for a venomous start, winning the opening set easily with Kenya only scoring one point. Catherine Mabwi’s girls did their all to put up some resistance but were undone by a speedy and organized Bulgaria.
It remained a one-sided affair in the following three sets with Antonina Zetova’s squad never looking back. Miroslava Paskova concluded Bulgaria’s imposing firework with a blistering winner from the left to make it 4 to nothing in only 54 minutes.
Yvonne Wavinya was Kenya’s best scorer in the match having accumulated five points.
“The reason why we lost today was our lack of confidence. Nothing more. I wish we had started the match the way we have played it in the last set,” head coach Catherine Mabwi said after the match.
Skipper Shyrine Jepkemboi added; “We did not play our second match the way we expected it. We managed to play better in the last set although we lost it at the end.”
They had the same script on Sunday afternoon against Brazil, also starting slow managing a meager two points against Brazil’s 15 in the opening set. They went on to lose the consequent three sets in 15-5, 15-12, 15-10.
The young Africans nourished hope in the beginning of the second set to push the scores to a 4-4 tie. However, they were not consistent enough. The reigning champions rapidly raised the speed and power to end the second period 15-5 in their favor.
Kenya had their best moments in the third set managing to push the scores to a 10-all tie. But again, they could not see off the strength to the last point, dropping back to narrowly lose 15-12.
The story never changed in the final set which the Brazilians won 15-10.
All matches in the Under-23 championship are played under a new scoring system currently being tested: a best-of-seven, 15-point set format.
Kenya’s third match of the championship will be against Turkey on Tuesday at 3pm.