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Emmanuel Koki (1) of General Service Unit (GSU) strike against Kenya Army rivals during their Kenya Volleyball Federation Men’s Kenya Cup at Moi International Sports Centre Indoor Arena, Kasarani on Sunday February 16, 2025. [Stafford Ondego, Standard]
Kenya Army upset the form book when they dismissed former Men’s National Volleyball League champions Kenya Prisons to end their flawless run as the second leg of the ongoing season ended at Kasarani Indoor Arena.
Until yesterday, the warders had enjoyed a seven-match winning streak and were the only side that had not tested defeat.
However, the soldiers showed no regard for the former winners, humbling them in straight sets of 25-19, 25-21 and 25-23 to subject them to their first defeat of the 2025-2026 season.
In other matches, debutants Chema Volleyball Club rallied from a set down to beat Prisons Rift Valley 3-1 and register their fifth win.
The outcome was a happy ending for the rookies who suffered two straight losses after falling to Kenya Prisons and Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) on day one and two.
They recovered on day three to beat Equity Bank 3-1 (25-21, 25-23, 22-25, 25-22) and remain in the race for a top eight finish.
The first set was a seesaw affair but it was the Rift Valley warders who held the nerve to snatch it 29-27.
Chema were more composed, controlling the game in all departments to win the following three sets 25-19, 25-16 and 25-18 to end the weekend positively.
Chema head coach Jeremiah Mukopi said that even though they lost the first two games, they recovered well and played according to plan.
“Our opponents capitalised on our weaknesses and we lost the first two matches but my boys recovered from the losses and played according to our game plan and we managed to win against Equity which is a good side and now we have won against Rift Valley. We need to play well going forward because the league is tough,” Mukopi said.
Prisons Nairobi fought gallantly against Eldoret Water and Sanitation Company (Eldowas) to carry the day in a five-set thriller.
The city warders took the first set 25-20 but Eldowas, who are featuring in the top tier for the first time, responded quickly by taking the second 25-15.
Prisons then snatched the third but Eldowas could not let them win easily taking the fourth set 29-27 to set the stage for the fifth set which the warders won to secure a third win.
KPA summed up a successful Nairobi trip with a straight sets win against Prisons Western.
The dockers had no difficulty seeing off the Western warders who ended their city trip without a point. KPA made light work of their opponents, bagging maximum points in sets of 25-12, 25-17 and 25-16.
Western, who launched their campaign during the second leg, left Nairobi empty-handed after losing all their three encounters.