Africa-Press – Rwanda. The national women’s volleyball league season, especially the playoffs, without MVP ‘Sande’ would have been anything definitely different.
Teammates nickname her ‘mother’, but her real name is Sande Melidinah Nemali, the star left attacker who inspired Police WVC to their first title since joining top tier volleyball three seasons ago.
Besides her demanding volleyball career, she is also a mother of two children. Her outstanding exploits earned her two top prizes as best attacker and Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the season.
Besides being named league’s MVP, Nemali was also recognised as the best attacker of the 2024-25 season.
“It all revolves around being a mother. I’m so proud of my kids, and they are the reason I push myself to fight for higher achievements,” Nemali told Times Sport in an interview.
Born in a countryside near Nairobi, Kenya, Nemali grew up in an ordinary family which was struggling for financial stability. However, volleyball was a God-given talent that allowed her to pursue secondary education under a sports scholarship.
She later joined Kenya Prisons volleyball club, where she also secured a job as a police officer.
She preferred not to dwell extensively on her two children, but mentioned that her firstborn arrived during the Covid-19 pandemic. She was selected to join the Kenyan national team for the first time when the country was preparing for the 2021 African volleyball championship.
Nemali’s motherhood has not a barrier to her career. She is so attached to her five-year-old daughter and two-year-old son but she was convinced it was the right thing to travel to Kigali without them when she joined Police Women Volleyball Club in November 2024. She decided to leave them home.
Currently residing in Rwanda alone, Nemali admits that, like any other mother, it is difficult to stay in a house without the kids by her side.
Explaining decision to leave her kids in Kenya, Nemali said she wouldn’t get time to take care of her kids since she spends most of daytime with her teammates.
“As parents, we need to seek opportunities for them to have a good life. We can’t just be present if we feel they are comfortable and God is taking care of them. Above all, I know that when I finish my commitments here, I travel back home to see them,” she said.
Nemali is not only building a character as a role model for her children but also inspires her teammates at Police WVC to learn from her strength as a woman both on and off the court, particularly in maintaining their physical fitness and resilience in the face of weaknesses and failures in sports.
“Even if I’m fit, there are times when your body feels completely tired, and you can’t perform as expected. Losing a game is also a very difficult moment. But the most important lesson my teammates learn from me is to be a fighter and never give up,” she explained.
Nemali sees no reason why motherhood or cultural norms should end a woman’s career. Instead, she sees it as a fresh start for even greater achievements.
She believes that knowing how far one has come should eliminate any excuses.
“Just know who you are. If you want something, go for it and give it your all. Have self-discipline. If you are a woman and become pregnant unexpectedly, don’t give up; your baby is the very reason for you to come back and prove the world wrong,” she asserted.
Breaking barriers
Nemali is one of the highest paid players not only at Police WVC but also in the league and it didn’t come so easy.
She noted that some societies discourage young women from pursuing sports as a career where they can showcase their talent and monetize it.
The former Kenya Prisons star said it’s crucial to recognize that many talented players become the breadwinners of their families.
“Don’t allow them to hold you back; find a way to pursue your talent, and then come back to educate them. Because even I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to study if it weren’t for my talent, which has brought me to where I am today,” she said.
Police WVC left attacker was named MVP of the national women’s volleyball league after guiding her team to their first championship-courtesy photo
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