Volleyball hailed despite World Championship failure

Mosah Mokganedi | Thursday February 13, 2014 19:40

 

Botswana finished third in Pool U after beating Zambia and Cape Verde and losing to powerhouses Egypt and Kenya. Botswana reached the final stage of the qualifiers for the first time and according Kapeko the team gave a good account of itself in Nairobi, Kenya.

Though they beat Cape Verde and Zambia, their best performance probably came when they lost 3-2 against fancied Kenya. Kapeko said because Kenya has always dominated them, they were not given a chance against the East African giants.

”That was the game where we played our hearts out. Unfortunately, we lost because we were not as physically strong as them,” he explained. Kenya and Egypt are ranked in tier three in the world, while Botswana is in tier two. However, Kapeko said Egypt is the only team they found to be technically superior and not Kenya. 

Botswana Volleyball Federation (BVF) president, Daniel Molaodi said although they wanted to qualify, they knew beating Egypt and Kenya was always going to be a tough call. He said it was important that Batswana put things into perspective before judging the team, which according to him did well. Botswana National Sports Council (BNSC) chairperson, Solly Reikeletseng told the players to walk with their heads up because they have done the country proud by reaching the final stage of the qualifiers for the first time. He said the good performance was a demonstration of the good results of long-term investment in sport.

He cautioned the players not to become big headed but aim higher. Egypt qualified for the World Championships to be hosted by Poland later this year.