Beach Volleyball queens Makokha, Agala up against Poland in last group match

Kenya's beach volleyball duo of Gaudencia Makokha and Bracksides Agala will take on the Polish pair of Katarzyna Kociolek and Kinga Wojtasik in the last Group L match at the ongoing 13th edition of the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships in Rome, Italy, on Monday at 4 PM EAT.

The pair will be out in search of a win be it in the match or just a set in the match after suffering back-to-back defeats in the opening two matches of the championship.

Kenya is participating in the Championship only for the second time, the first appearance being in 2017 when Makokha and Naomi Too competed in Austria.

Agala and Makokha suffered their second defeat on Sunday to Germany, losing by straight sets (21-11,21-13) to Germany's Karla Berger and Julia Sude.

Before that, they had lost the opening match to hosts Italy on Friday being beaten by Claudia Scampoli and Margherita Blanchin 2-0 (21-8,21-9).

Before the tournament, Coach Sammy Mulinge, who led the duo in their Olympics debut in Tokyo last year, noted that the target for this championship was to have the players gain exposure and play against tougher teams so as to get better.

“We are happy to have the chance to feature at this level of competition again. We did not have much time to prepare but the duo’s experience comes in handy in such a scenario. Makokha was in the last World Championship edition alongside Naomi Too so she knows what to expect. This chance plays into our strategic plan as a commission. Beach volleyball is gaining traction in the country and we are working on a plan to build three pairs that can participate at the world stage whenever called upon. This pair’s experience in Rome will help lift the level of competition locally,” Mulinge offered then.