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Paris 2024: The long Malkia Strikers wait for Olympic victory continues after defeat to Japan
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Reading Time: 2min | Sat. 03.08.24. | 15:43
This was the side's fourth participation at the Summer Games, having previously featured in 2000, 2004 and 2021
Hopes for national women’s volleyball team, Malkia Strikers, to bag a win of any kind at the Olympic Games continue as the side lost their last pool match against Japan in straight sets.
Kenya had lost their opening matches to Brazil and Poland in similar results and their hopes lay on their clash against the Asian side.
The Japheth Munala-coached Malkia lost the game 3-0 (25-17, 25-22, 25-12), coming agonisingly close to winning a set. Well, 2028 is only four years away and the land of opportunities, USA, could be the place.
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Munala's girls had a slow start, allowing Japan to race to an early 9-2 lead in the opening set. Kenya, however, rallied for a 13-08 in a fight that saw them go on their longest scoring rally to catch up.
The Japanese still dominated but Belinda Barasa partnered well with Esther Mutinda through the middle to bring Malkia close at 16-10 and further at 16-11 with Veronica Adhiambo also delivering.
Pamela Adhiambo powered Malkia to making it a five-point game at 19-14 as they kept the fight going to lose the set 25-17. The side managed three blocks against Japan who did better on the aces front with three. Both sides lost one serve each.
Malkia started the second set on a high, bagging their first ace of the match to rake a 2-1 and further 4-2 but Japan levelled the set at 5 off a string mistake by Malkia. A block gave Japan the lead at 6-5.
A three-point rally by the Japanese forced Munala into a timeout as he attempted to correct Kenya's defensive blunders that had seen the opponent take a sizeable lead.
Malkia went on a run of their own to make it a one-point game at 10-09. Mutinda, in similar fashion to Kenya's opening ace, delivered again to take the lead away at 12-11.
The back and forth saw Malkia trail by a point, tying the game at 14, with a service error and again at 16 after MVP performance from Adhiambo and Kenya Volleyball Federation (KVF) women's league MVP Juliana Namutira to recover the ball and block.
A service error from the Kenya side gave Japan their first two-point lead since the rally started at 22-20 as Malkia went on to lose the set 25-22.
In the third set Malkia were a pale shadow of their second set as Japan easily dispensed them, having taken a quick 6-1 lead, forcing the Kenyan side into a timeout.
Little changed upon resumption as Japan led all through to win the set 25-12 and Kenya's hopes for a set victory at the Summer Games went up in smoke.
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