Kenya Pipeline edge DCI to win KVF league title

Kenya Pipeline reclaimed the Kenya Volleyball Federation (KVF) National League title after battling past a resilient Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) side in a pulsating five-set finale on Saturday.

The defending champions had to dig deep to seal a 3-2 (21-25, 25-21, 18-25, 25-21, 15-11) victory, clinching the best-of-three series 2-0 at the Kasarani Indoor Arena.

The win marked a triumphant return to the top for Pipeline, who were pushed to their limits by a determined DCI squad chasing their first-ever league title.

KPC head coach Geoffrey Omondi was full of praise to their opponents who despite losing yesterday's game with straight sets showed hunger in today's loss but he was confident that his side will eventually triumph.

“We needed to dig deep to win. Coming into the game, I was confident we would win, but I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. Our fighting spirit was great, even after losing two sets."

“DCI’s coach did his homework well. They came out guns blazing and were not playing it safe — they gave it their all.”

DCI head coach Patrick Sang was pleased with the game that his side played today insisting that it’s a great achievement for his side.

“We are proud of the results. Hard luck to the team we wanted gold, but we are happy to settle with silver.”

“This is an achievement. We’ve never come this far since we began in 2018. Being number two is not easy.”

“Congratulations to Kenya Pipeline. Now, we go back to the drawing board to polish our errors and prepare for the Kenya Cup.”

DCI fought bravely throughout, and in the fourth and fifth sets, the margins were razor-thin. However, Kenya Pipeline’s experience proved vital in the pressure moments.

National team captain and veteran middle blocker Trizah Atuka hailed her team’s composure and the significance of the win

 “DCI came out much stronger than yesterday and gave us a big challenge.” Their service game was on another level, and their side-outs improved massively."

“It was really important for us to win and avoid ending the season without a trophy, especially after missing out on Zone 5 of the club championship.”