Africa-Press – Kenya. Equity Bank volleyball team intend to maintain their squad come next season despite dismal performance in the Kenya Volleyball Federation League.
Team manager Nicholas Bitok said they have in the past been forced to overhaul their squad but this time around they have decided to give it a different approach.
The bankers lost over half their squad last season to newbies Blazers and went on a spending spree, only to finish sixth—three places behind Blazers in third.
“There’s a need to maintain the current squad after impressing at the tail end of the season. We want to break away from the norm of rushing into the market every other season,” Bitok said.
“We don’t want to recruit for the sake of it. We will only target a maximum of three quality players. We have learned from our past mistakes and we want to remain patient as we transform the team into a force to reckon with. The squad is formidable.”
Despite failing to reach the playoffs, Bitok was impressed by the team’s performance at the African Club Championships. Equity enjoyed a good run in the last few matches and Bitok expects to build on the momentum going forward.
“We have the quality to finish in the top four. The team was full of confidence after playing in the African Club Championship and I believe the experience and exposure was immense,” he noted.
Bitok said the team will not hesitate to jump on any other opportunity of dining with the big boys in the African Premier Club competition.
Equity grabbed the chance in June after both the General Service Unit and Kenya Prisons gave the annual showpiece a wide berth.
“We want to thank our sponsor in a big way because they responded on short notice during the last Africa show. We will take another opportunity should it arise as the team is full of confidence after their show in Tunisia.”
Bitok wants the federation to plan well so that more league matches can be played indoors. He thinks using both Nyayo and Makande Hall gymnasiums will be the only way to fulfill their indoor dream.
“We don’t have enough facilities but the good thing is that we have aligned ourselves with the international calendar. The federation must plan with the few facilities in the country. Using both Nyayo and Mombasa can be the solution.”
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