National women volleyball defending champions Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA) secured the first win of the 2017 Playoffs finals after beating archrivals APR 3-2 in Game 1 of the best of three series on Sunday at Ecole Belge Gymnasium.

Jean De Dieu Masumbuko's team started strongly winning the first two sets 25-15 and 25-20 before Viateur Sibomana's APR recovered and also took the next two sets 25-23 and 25-16; while the hosts claimed the fifth set 15-9.

"It is always good to start with a win but we need to work hard in the next game (on Saturday),” Masumbuko said.

Meanwhile, the women national beach volleyball team of Charlotte Nzayisenga and Denise Mutatsimpundu has joined the training camp ahead of the World Championships.

Mutatsimpundu and Nzayisenga overcame Moroccan opponents to win a gold medal at the 2017 CAVB Beach Volleyball Cup on May 15, in Maputo, Mozambique.

With this victory, Rwanda qualified for the 2017 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships that will be held from July 28 to August 6 in Vienna, Austria. They have qualified along with Morocco, Kenya and Mozambique.

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