Kenya women’s volleyball team, Malkia Strikers, are looking to bounce back in their second Pool “G” match against Poland at the FIVB World Championship in Phuket, Thailand, on Monday.
The African champions lost their opening group match to Germany in straight sets (22-25, 08-25, 20-25) on Saturday.
Speaking after the team’s training session on Sunday, head coach Geoffrey Omondi remained optimistic about their chances against the world number three side.
“If we can pick up from where we left off against Germany, we’re capable of pulling off an upset against Poland,” said Omondi, who also coaches Kenya Pipeline, the reigning Kenya Volleyball Federation National League champions.
“The players did a fantastic job against Germany, and we hope they’ll bring the same energy against Poland. We’ve trained well and worked on the areas we struggled with. I believe we can cause an upset. The players are in high spirits, especially after some received their allowances. Now, the full focus is on the remaining matches.”
Omondi added, “If we can win a set or two—or even the match altogether—it would be a huge achievement. This team has what it takes to compete at the highest level, especially if we continue getting international exposure like we did before this tournament. All this is part of our long-term plan for the 2028 Olympic Games.”
Last week, Kenya played friendly matches against Spain and hosts Vietnam, losing both.
Malkia Strikers will wrap up their pool campaign against Vietnam on Wednesday. The top two teams at the end of the preliminary round will advance to the second round.
Meanwhile, Poland’s coach Stefano Lavarini said he is approaching the match against Kenya with caution.
“Kenya is a physical team that can surprise you if you’re not careful. Just like Vietnam did yesterday—they took the first set off us. Volleyball is evolving, and we must take every match seriously if we want to progress,” said Lavarini.
“We faced Kenya at the Olympics and although we won 3-0, they played really well.”
Team captain Meldina Sande confirmed that some players had received their allowances after raising concerns earlier in the week.
“We want to thank the Ministry of Sports, the National Olympic Committee of Kenya, and Mozzart for their support. We’re now settled and focused on the competition,” said Sande, who plays for Rwanda Police. “We appreciate the support from Kenyans back home and hope to make them proud.”
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