Africa-Press – Kenya. Trailblazers captain James Mutero has warned his charges against complacency after being forced to dig deep in a five-set thriller win over Kenya Ports Authority in the Kenya Volleyball Federation men’s league match at the match at Nyayo Stadium.
The Geoffry Omondi-coached side threw away a 2-0 lead to set a nail-biting end to the encounter that was settled by the fifth deciding set. The Ruaraka-based side was peerless in the opening exchanges and was rewarded for the good work after bagging the first set 25-20.
The team, in their second season in the top tier, picked up from where they left to scalp the Coastal side in the second set 25-19, to send the fully-packed Nyayo stadium to a crescendo.
KPA, fresh from representing Kenya at the recently concluded Africa Club Volleyball Championships in Tunisia, came guns blazing in the third set. Complacency slowly crept in for Trailblazers as errors in service and blocks denied the team the opportunity to kill off the match.
Sammy Mulinge’s KPA was given a lifeline after clinching the third set 25-13 as Trailblazers dropped off their momentum. The last season’s league runners-up drew back to level terms after winning the fourth set 25-22. Both teams made tactical tweaks in the decider. The two sides recorded 4-4 ups, KPA took the lead 7-6 but Trailblazers held on to win 15-12.
Unimpressed Mutero said: “Lack of a killer instinct after taking the lead is becoming our Achilles heel because it’s not the first time we have dropped our standards after taking the lead,” Mutero, who formerly played for moneybags Equity Bank team, observed.
“We displayed character to win but there’s a lot that we need to work on as a team. We always seem excited after taking the lead. We need to maintain our stands throughout matches,” he added. Both teams were missing key players.
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