Up against some of the best teams on the continent, the senior national men's volleyball team, Wafalme Stars, will have to dig deep if their target for a podium place at the 2026 CAVB Men’s African Nations Volleyball Championship is to be realised.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsWafalme Stars are ramping up preparations for the Championship, scheduled to take place from Sunday, 13 to Saturday, 26 September in Tunis, Tunisia. Initially slated for Kinshasa, DR Congo, the Confédération Africaine de Volleyball (CAVB) moved the continental showpiece to Tunisia due to health and safety concerns.Malkia Strikers captain opens up about dark period of processing loss to EgyptKenya earned its place in Tunis after dominating the CAVB Zone V qualifiers in June, winning all four matches without dropping a set to finish top with 12 points. The Gideon Tarus-led side saw off Tanzania, hosts Uganda, South Sudan and Burundi to qualify as the best team from the zone.A top three finish for Tarus' charges would guarantee Wafalme a place in next year's World Championships, a massive feat should it come to fruition. ##NAJAVA_MECA_9945924##Unlike their women counterparts, Malkia Strikers, who have dominated continental competitions for several decades, Wafalme have struggled to break out in a highly competitive African scene.However, Tarus and his charges will draw inspiration from, among others, their performance at the 2021 edition, widely considered the breakthrough year for the current modern squad. Harambee Stars forward names Spain World Cup star as his role model at Real SociedadThe team shocked the then-defending champions and African giants Egypt 3-2 in their opening match. Despite subsequent losses to Morocco that knocked them out of title contention, they finished the tournament strongly with five wins and one loss overall.At the same tournament in Cairo, Egypt, in 2023, Tarus' charges had a tough start, losing their group stage matches to Cameroon and Libya. However, they rebounded in the classification rounds, defeating Senegal 3-0 and eventually edging out Ghana 3-2 in a gruelling five-set thriller to secure back-to-back ninth-place finishes.##NAJAVA_MECA_9945924##"We have a fit squad and have focused on ball handling and game situations in our training sessions. The target is a top three finish, and we will give it everything we have. The players are in high spirits, drawing inspiration from previous performances and the qualifiers as they look to become part of a historic feat," Tarus told Mozzart Sport. Former streetboy and fisherman unshaken after Kenya U20 omission due to lack of passportThe Championship will bring together some of the continent’s leading volleyball nations, including Tunisia (hosts), Algeria, Cameroon, Central African Republic (CAR), Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Egypt, Gambia, Ghana, Nigeria, Morocco, Rwanda, and Zimbabwe, providing Kenya with a stern test as they pursue qualification for the 2027 World Championship.
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