Sorry Cameroon face wrath of Malkia Strikers in African Volleyball Derby

Africa's women volleyball heavyweights Malkia Strikers of Kenya face bitter rivals Cameroon in a hotly billed continental derby set in the European nation of Netherlands where the FIVB World Championships is taking place.

The Tuesday 9pm encounter will decide the course Malkia Strikers take in the ongoing championships after faltering in their opening two fixtures.

Malkia Strikers are focused on winning their second ever match at the FIVB Women's World Championships and in what better way would it be to hit their irritating African rivals in a global platform like the World Championships?. 

In their seventh appearance at the global championship, the Luizomar de Moura-coached side has set a target of reaching the second round and for that to happen, Malkia Strikers need to win at least two matches. Cameroon should be the first with either Italy or Puerto Rico in their closing group games.

The Kenyan girls already gave a good enough account of themselves in their opening losses and only need to build on their heightening momentum to vanquish two teams in the group.

With such a weighty responsibility, the players are not letting critics pour misery into their cup neither doubters place hesitation in their steps as they look to exact revenge on the Cameroonians who have denied them the African title for the last three editions. 

"We are ready. I believe the team will pick an easy win, but we cannot be complacent. We played Cameroon in Kigali last year and lost but we were not well prepared then," offered assistant coach Paul Bitok. 

African volleyball has been dominated by the two sides, both having represented the continent in the 2018 World Championship and the last two Olympics. 

Bitok roots for resilient Malkia Strikers to bounce back against Cameroon

Their rivalry has out in the gold medal match of the last five continental tournaments, with Cameroon winning the African Championship in 2017, 2019 and 2021 and Kenya triumphing at the African Games in 2015 and 2019. 

There have been nine encounters between the two so far with Kenya winning five times. However, the Kenyan technical bench and playing unit have their work cut out as Cameroon has won the last two matches in Kigali.