Limping Chema eye redemption in KVF’s third leg

Chema Volleyball Club will be looking to redeem themselves in the third leg of the Kenya Volleyball Federation (KVF) Men’s League, which serves off on Thursday at the Kasarani Indoor Arena.

The Juja-based side suffered back-to-back defeats to former champions Kenya Prisons and Kenya Ports Authority (KPA), bringing their four-match winning run to an end and sending them back to the drawing board.

Chema first fell 3-1 to Kenya Prisons before suffering a similar 3-1 defeat to the Dockers.

Head coach Jeremiah Mukopi remains confident that his team will bounce back.

“We have prepared well for the third leg and I can assure our fans that we will win our matches. We slipped in two games, but we have learned our lessons,” Mukopi told Citizen Digital.

Mukopi said the team has undergone intensive training ahead of the leg, highlighting reception and attacking as areas that still require improvement.

“We have had problems receiving the ball for quite some time and we need to bridge that gap. KPA and Prisons exploited that weakness, but we have been working hard to improve. I also had injuries on the opposite side of the team, but I’m glad the players are now back,” he added.

Reception has been Chema’s Achilles’ heel since their days in the lower-tier league.

The problem initially appeared solved after the club acquired the services of Hudson Kipchumba from reigning champions General Service Unit (GSU). However, the player left the team last month just as Mukopi was building the squad around him.

His absence was felt in the crucial matches Chema lost, and Mukopi will now be hoping former banker Bethoven Okombo can step up and help fill the void.

Despite the recent setbacks, Mukopi says he is proud of the progress the team has made since earning promotion to the top tier.

“We have made significant progress since our promotion, and finishing as runners-up in the Kipchumba Karori Tournament was one of those milestones. However, we are not yet at the level I want us to be, and we can only get better.”

Chema will begin their third leg campaign against fellow league debutants Eldowas before facing Nairobi Prisons on Friday. They will then take on Trail Blazers and Kenya Airports Police Unit (KAPU) in tricky fixtures on Saturday and Sunday respectively.

The newcomers currently sit fourth on the standings with 15 points from seven matches, seven points behind leaders KPA.