Trailblazers looking to build on 2022 performance ahead of new KVF season

Kenya Volleyball Federation (KVF) debutants Trailblazers’ skipper James Mutero says they will be back with a vengeance in the new season as they look to win the league in their second time of asking.

In their debut season, the Geoffrey Omondi led side beat experienced teams to the playoff spot, finishing fourth in the regular season and third in the playoffs ahead of former champions Prisons Kenya.

“This was our first attempt, we were aiming for the title but we finished third. This is a big step for us and we can use to build on for the coming season. Our main undoing in the playoffs was lapses in concentration but in the end, we managed a win against Prisons was a good thing for us,” said Mutero in an interview after the playoffs.

Haiti-born Richard Sylvain who is the founder and owner of Trailblazers took a leap of faith and enlisted a number of experienced players who had been let go by Equity bank after the previous season concluded and activities disrupted by Covid-19.

In an interview with Mozzart Sport, Sylvain said that the squad had gone beyond expectations as they had predicted a playoffs slot in their second year of being in the league.

“We are experienced players individually but the team chemistry was still a work in progress in the regular season as well as in the playoffs and that affected how we played against the more experienced sides.

Prisons Kenya set to bolster squad ahead of new season

It was, however, a learning process that helped us understand how important understanding each other on and off the court is for a team. Being aggressive and mentally prepared is also a key aspect of any team’s success and that is something we need to work on. As we take a break and get back to training for the new season, we have work to do as now we have a target on our backs,” added Mutero.

By finishing third on the log, Trailblazers have a chance to represent the country in next year’s continental club championships alongside champions General Service Unit (GSU) and Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) who finished second.