Volleyball: Bitok challenges setters to improve

After Rwanda men’s national team lost the first two of three warm-up matches against Cameroon, coach Paul Bitok has challenged his setters to improve in time for the upcoming Zone V tournament scheduled for May 1-6 at Amahoro indoor stadium.

Saturday, April 25, 2015

After Rwanda men’s national team lost the first two of three warm-up matches against Cameroon, coach Paul Bitok has challenged his setters to improve in time for the upcoming Zone V tournament scheduled for May 1-6 at Amahoro indoor stadium.

On Wednesday evening, Rwanda lost the first match 3-0 (25-23, 25-19 and 25-22) and also the second match on Friday evening 3-2 (22-25, 25-23, 23-25, 27-25 and 5th set 16 -18). The third and final friendly was due to be played last evening.

"Our setters were not on good level or maybe not experienced enough to play with big teams; we need to improve our level before the Zone V competition,” Bitok told Sunday Sport from Douala.

The former Kenya international added, "They have to improve because we have big task ahead of us, we started 8-2 and 12-8 but setter made wrong choice that cost us seven points in one position at the 1st set, which was hard to recover against a very good team.”

APR setter Helve Kagimbura, who didn’t make the trip to Douala, could join the team when the team comes back.

Bitok is using the matches as preparations of the upcoming Zone V tournament, where Rwanda will play against Burundi, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, and the winner will qualify for the 2015 All Africa Games to be held in Congo Brazzaville from September 4-19.