Reigning Kenya Volleyball Federation (KVF) Women’s National League champions Kenya Pipeline launched their title defence with a straight-sets win against Kenya Army as the 2025-2026 season began yesterday at Nyayo Gymnasium.
The oilers made light work of the servicewomen, dismissing them in less than an hour to send an early warning to their opponents of their plans to extend their reign.
Their meeting was a mismatch, as Pipeline dominated Kenya Army from the whistle, scoring at will to take the first set 25-9. The soldiers tried to fight back in the set, but the multiple league winners were too good to be contained, winning it 25-14.
The third set was a walk in the park for Pipeline, as they totally outplayed their hapless opponents, who seemed to have given up the fight in both attack and defence. They easily took the set 25-5 for a perfect start to the season. Kenya Army will be hoping to recover from the slow start and register their first win when they face off with their Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) peers today.
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Pipeline, on the other hand, will reignite their rivalry with former winners Kenya Prisons. A win for either side will mean that they have taken down one of their toughest opponents.
Pipeline coach Geoffrey Omondi said that a game one win is a morale booster and a pointer of how they are likely to perform throughout the season.
“This victory is good for us because it gives us confidence that we will win the season with zeal just like we ended the last season,” Omondi said.
Omondi noted that they don’t expect to have it easy today against perennial rivals Kenya Prisons.
“It will be a very tough match because Prisons is a senior team with experienced players. They have a lot of experience in that team that we need to deal with, and so it is a tough match that we will have to react to as per how they come tomorrow (today).”
In another encounter, Postbank showed no regard for rookies Kenyatta University, offering a rude 3-0 (25-5, 25-12, 25-17) welcome to the league. However, it was notable that the students kept improving by the set.
The bankers coach Vernon Kainga said that the systems he has put in place worked.
“Most of the basics that we have been learning, I’ve seen that we have really improved. Moving forward I believe in the next match against A-Plus Motors we will play better and on Sunday against Kenya Army. All I’m looking forward to is achieving the nine points within the weekend,” Kainga said.
His Kenyatta University equal, Vitalis Ojukwu, said that despite the loss, he is happy with the experience.
“It has been a pleasure to be given an opportunity to be the first university side to play in the league. Based on how we started set one and improved in other sets, it’s clear that there’s growth, and if we continue like that, we will be counting giants that we fell at the end of the season,” Ojukwu said.