Spiking Stars qualified for the championship after finishing second at the Zone VI Senior Club Championships held in Gaborone last December. It will not be a walk in the park for the debutants as they are placed in Group B with defending champions, Zamalek from Egypt, Nigeria's Chief of Naval Staff, and Kenya Prisons. Spiking Stars team manager, Thabo Tlale, said they are looking forward to play against the best teams in Africa. “We are debutants and we really do not want to put pressure on ourselves. We want to play our best volleyball and do our best. Our desire is to get out of the group stages and we will do all we can to achieve that. But (we have) no pressure,” he said. Tlale said the mood is high in the camp and players are ready for the challenge.
Stars coach, Lee Tshipana, who did not travel with the team due to unforeseen circumstances, said despite this he has monitored the players via videos and they are in good shape. “The preparations for the tournament were good, the players showed great enthusiasm and that they want to achieve something. We are debutants, some will break but also some will show how much potential they have due to the level of play and pressure they are going to face,” he said. Tshipana said they are in a difficult group and it would not be easy. Tracy Chaba, who once played for Zamalek is expecting tough competition for Stars. The last time Botswana competed at the African Women’s Volleyball Club Championships was in 2017. “Botswana has not been participating in the African Women’s Volleyball Club Championships for a long time.
That means we have not been competing in big stages. Stars travelled for exposure, young players will get a chance to see the seriousness of volleyball in those parts of Africa. I have played for Zamalek and they are a tough side. My teammates should just go there and enjoy themselves,” she said. Chaba said Kenya Prisons would also be difficult to deal with because volleyball is big in Kenya. But she cautioned against putting Stars players under pressure.
