VOLLEYBALL: KCCA comeback stuns KAVC

By Swalley Kenyi 

National Volleyball League 

Women 

KAVC 2 KCCA 3

Men 

KAVC 0 Nemostars 3

KULTHUM Nakamanya is always crucial in KCCA women volleyball club. Her role as a setter makes the team either standout or collapse. 

And on Saturday night Nakamanya spearheaded KCCA to their first win in the league since 2011 but she could hardly celebrate the victory as she lay motionless for minutes. 

She collapsed onto the canvas as the women ended two years of heartbreak at the hands of their arch-rivals KAVC when they came from two sets down to win 3-2 in the National Volleyball League at the MTN Arena in Lugogo. 

KAVC had taken the first two sets 25-19 and 25-22 but KCCA regrouped to take the rest 25-14, 25-22 and 15-13 to complete a remarkable comeback. 

KAVC women went into the game that had been rescheduled twice beaming with six more wins in their recent encounters. The women had not lost a match to KCCA in the national volleyball league since 2011.

The joy of ending this jinx is what KCCA's veteran setter Nakamanya, who is rumoured to retire at the end of this season, soon could not withstand.

“I had fought hard to see that we reverse the trend but I collapsed on winning because I could not believe that we had overcome them. This win for some reason means a lot to me. It was too much because we had consistently lost to KAVC,” Nakamanya said after recovery. 

However the 3-2 win did not come easily as KCCA fought from two sets down to level and then win the decisive set 15-13.

It was double tragedy for KAVC coach Hannington Nsubuga as Nemostars consolidated their lead on the League table (21points) with a straight sets win over KAVC in the men's competition.

Nsubuga had taken to the court for the men's match straight after the defeat of his women. 

But a combination of Nemostars’ team captain George Aporu, Tom Amou, Luis Mubangizi and Oscar Limtek was too good for KAVC to stop as they went down 25-22, 25-21 and 25-23.