UZ Wolves for continental contest

UNIVERSITY of Zimbabwe (UZ) Wolves, the country’s sole representatives in the men’s African Volleyball Club Championships, are fully prepared to deliver an impressive performance in the tournament which commenced on Sunday in Cairo, Egypt.

The Championships, which are being played at the Al Ahly Sports Complex, are featuring 21 teams, with the winner earning the berth to represent Africa at the World Championships later in the year.

Wolves are ranked seventh in the UZ Zimbabwe Volleyball Association listing. Wolves earned their ticket at the UZ tournament after finishing fourth at the Southern Africa Club Championships in Lesotho in December last year. They will play in Group D alongside Kenya Port Authority (Kenya), Green Buffaloes (Zambia) as well as teams from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda.

The team’s head coach Gift Chirebvu, in an interview with Zimpapers Sports Hub yesterday morning, said they hoped to compete among the best teams and try to win.

“We were preparing since the end of January, as we knew about our qualification by December last year. We had time to thoroughly prepare for the tournament. We had five additions to the team who we needed to come to speed with our system of play.

“As the coach, I am excited to say that they adjusted well to the system. The team has 14 players and five officials and is led by sports director Rumbidzai Mukando.

UZ So far, we have had two training sessions before the start of the games.

“The players are very eager to showcase their talent at the biggest stage in Africa. We will leave sweat and tears on the court for the pride of the University of Zimbabwe and the country as a whole.

“We could have done better on the facilities for training as we needed to have a feel of the indoor atmosphere before coming here,” Chirebvu said.*