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Sport-S dominate National Volleyball League first round
Sport-S men are still unbeaten. PHOTO/EMANZI NDYAMUHAKI
What you need to know:
The two sides from Nsambya remain top of the log and favourites to go all the way and lift the men and women’s trophies. That is, however, usually easier said than done.
The first round of the National Volleyball League came to an end last Sunday with KCCA Ladies condemning Sport-S to their first defeat of the season. That marked the end of the first half of the season that has been dominated by the Sport-S family.
The two sides from Nsambya remain top of the log and favourites to go all the way and lift the men and women’s trophies. That is, however, usually easier said than done.
The Sport-S men’s side have been coming close to the championship but somehow missing out in the last decade.
Having had their game with KAVC rescheduled to January 15, 2023, Sport-S only played eight games in the first round but still amassed the most number of points, 24, to go into the festive season top of the ten-team log.
The performances have been top class for Warren Muhangi’s outfit, often playing with some key players missing and yet easing past opponents.
Johnson Rukundo has been inconsistent due to work commitments but that has not stopped the team from performing well. Augustine Odongo, who was promoted from Tigers, has played like he belongs at the big stage while the centre pairing of Samuel Engwau and Emmanuel Okia clicked with the rest of the team right away.
Team captain Dickens Otim has played a reduced role through the eight games but has experience to offer every time he has been called upon.
Eight games played, eight won and no set lost. Sport-S could not have asked for a better start to the season and have the opportunity to make it nine out of nine when they face KAVC mid-January.
The Sport-S ladies, meanwhile, were unbeaten until last Sunday. They had lost just two sets before falling 3-0 to KCCA, the team expected to challenge for the championship.
Having lost the National Club Championship final to OBB Ladies, Sport-S got their revenge and also defeated defending champions Ndejje Elites to set the pace.
Marlik Ddamulira’s charges have collected 18 points and stay top of the log with a better set ration than Ndejje. The table leaders have dropped five sets while Ndejje lost six.
With KCCA and OBB on 15 and 14 points respectively in third and fourth, the fight for top spot will go all the way into the second round.
Ever-changing OBB
OBB are playing their second season in the top flight but have already hired a third coach. From Lawrence Yakan to Luke Eittit, the team is now under the tutelage of Johnshon Kawenyera.
Eittit lasted five games. He came in after the team’s 3-0 loss to Sport-S in the opening game of the season and went on to win three games from five. By the time of his departure, the defending champions had won three and lost as many games.
Eittit had been hired to replace Yakan after the National Club Championship but failed to harmonize his work schedule in Kampala with that of an OBB side that is based in Iganga.
Kawenyera is expected to stable the ship as OBB look to defend the championship before representing Uganda at next year’s Africa Club Championship.
Currently third on the log, OBB have won six and lost three games. They are six points behind table leaders Sport-S and one ahead of fourth-placed Nemostars.
Players like Brian Atuhaire and Jonathan Tumukunde are yet to scale the heights expected of them while Ivan Ongom has not played any single game due to injury. For a defending champion, it is fair to say OBB have failed to impress thus far.
KAVC back
KAVC defeated Nemostars 3-1 to go into the break on a high. And that is the kind of form the five-time league winners have been in the entire first round.
Fighting to get a playoffs spot must be the target for a side that has struggled to be in the top four the last two seasons. With a 7-1 record and 22 points, KAVC are second on the log, just two points behind leaders Sport-S.
Memory Dube’s outfit has been in good form with opposite Onapa doing most of the damage on offence. The return of libero Emmanuel Elanyu has improved KAVC’s first pass to facilitate the team’s offence and the side will be confident to retain a playoffs spot after second round action.
Tricky Old Kampala Challenge
The Old Kampala Arena has become home to the volleyball league but that comes with its own challenges as the sport looks to take the next step. First of all, it comes with several limitations.
Being a faith-based facility, there is no alcohol accepted into the arena and this has locked out several sports lovers who would rather watch games while sipping on their hard drinks.
Foods and beverages are not allowed into the facility as well and that further keeps fans away. Many have been calling for the federation to dig into the pockets and hire Lugogo for the remainder of the season but funds for that and the availability of the venue remain a tough challenge.
The poor lighting in Old Kampala and the leaking roof on rainy days have all been challenges to note from the first half of the season. Only the opening day of the season was played at Lugogo and it remains to be seen whether the second round and the playoffs will return there.
National Volleyball League
Men's top four
Sport-S -8-0 (24 points)
KAVC -7-1 (22 points)
OBB -6-3 (18 points)
Nemostars -6-3 (17 points)
Bottom Two
9 -Sky -2-7 (5 points)
10 -Nkumba -Navy -0-9 (1 point)
Women;'s top four
Sport-S -6-1 (18 points)
Ndejje Elites -6-1 (18 points)
KCCA -5-2 (15 points)
OBB -5-2 (14 points)
Bottom Two
6 -VVC -1-5 (2 points)
7 -Espoir -0-7 (1 point)
