African title in sight after Kenya Pipeline stun Carthage to book final ticket

Coach Paul Gitau will be hoping to guide his charges, Kenya Pipeline, to their first continental title since 2005.

The oil merchants survived a five-set thriller against hosts Carthage of Tunisia in the semifinals of the ongoing CAVB women’s club championships to book their first final ticket in almost ten years.

Pipeline, who last featured in the final in 2015 will face Zamalek SC of Egypt in the final on Monday 22 May in Hammamat for the opportunity to lift the title back-to-back for Kenya as Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) won the gong last year.

Pipeline, who won bronze last year, playing against Carthage to win by a similar margin as they did on Saturday night.

During the semi, the national champions fought to win the second set 27-25 having trailed 1-0 after Carthage took the opening set in a 18-25 outcome. Gitau’s charges kept pushing and assumed lead at 2-1 with a third set thriller that ended 25-23 in the Kenyan side’s favour.

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In the see-saw clash that this was, Carthage leveled matters in the fourth set with a 23-25 victory of their own to send the match into the all-important decider set that Pipeline dominated to win 15-9 and sail through to the final.

Skipper Rose Magoi, while speaking to daily nation lauded the oilers for putting in the work to qualify for the final.

“It was not easy but I am happy things worked in our favour. We had to dig deep and our determination won it for us. We want to maintain the same tempo going into the final and hopefully we will reclaim the trophy we last won 2005,” she said after the match.

Meanwhile in the other semi, Zamalek defeated Mouloudia Club Alger of Algeria 3-1(25-18, 23-25,25-17, 25-18). The latter had denied holders KCB the opportunity to play in the last four in a five-set clash.