By Amaechi Agbo
Nigeria’s senior women’s volleyball team finished ninth at the 2026 African Senior Women’s Volleyball Nations Championship in Kenya after overcoming Mali in the final classification match at the Kasarani Stadium on Wednesday.
The CAVB Zone 3 champions defeated Mali 3-0 (25-23, 25-19, 25-14) to round off their campaign on a winning note.
Nigeria had finished fourth in the group stage after recording one victory over Ghana and suffering defeat to Cameroon and Tunisia. Their hopes of progressing further ended in the Round of 16 when they lost to hosts and defending champions Kenya.
The Nigerian team responded strongly in the classification matches, defeating Senegal before completing their campaign with a convincing victory over the Democratic Republic of Congo, followed by the win against Mali.
President of the Nigeria Volleyball Federation, Engineer Musa Nimrod, expressed satisfaction with the performance of the young Nigerian players, describing their display as evidence that the country has the talent to challenge for honours in Africa.
“I’m pleased with the young girls because, as I have always said, they have great potential,” Nimrod said.
He added that most of the players had undergone his training programme and praised the progress he witnessed during the championship.
“It shows that Nigeria is ready to conquer Africa in volleyball. I have seen the potential in these young players, and I’m delighted that they were able to win their match while I was here.”
Nimrod also expressed appreciation to Nigeria’s Ambassador and embassy officials in Kenya for their support and encouragement of the team, noting that such backing is not always available when Nigerian teams compete abroad.
Looking ahead, the federation president urged Nigeria’s beach volleyball players to intensify preparations following the country’s historic qualification for the Olympic Games.
“It’s not going to be easy. Let the young beach volleyball players be ready for the big work ahead,” Nimrod warned.
He stressed that merely qualifying for or winning at the Olympics should not be the ultimate objective, insisting that the athletes must be properly prepared for the challenge ahead.
“There is a lot of work ahead, but we thank God,” he said.
Nimrod also thanked the Kenyan people, the Nigerian embassy and its staff for the tremendous support extended to the Nigerian delegation throughout the championship
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