Rwanda women’s Sitting Volleyball national team captain Lilian Mukobwankawe has said that her team is ready for the Africa Zone Sitting Volleyball Championship which will take place in Nairobi, Kenya, from July 1-10.

Rwanda women's team was placed in Group A alongside hosts Kenya and Algeria.

The team is holding daily training sessions at NPC Gymnasium Remera and Mukobwankawe told Times Sport that her team will be ready for the tournament.

"It is a big competition but we are ready as you can see in our training,” she said.

"We need to give everything during the competition and we don’t have to fear anyone. We will make sure that we defend our title and make our country proud. We are hungry and ready to do better, and we believe we can win the title,” said Mukobwankawe.

Mukobwanakawe is Paralympic volleyballer who as of 2019 serves as the captain of the Rwanda Women Sitting Volleyball team. She was captain of the 2015 and 2019 ParaVolley Africa Sitting Volleyball Championships winning teams.

"We know we are going to face tough teams which have improved in terms of playing, especially Kenya, who are at home, but we have been preparing well and we will give all to defend the title. We have received everything to prepare for the tournament, and we will go to Kenya and give our best,” she added.

ALSO READ: Musanze, Bugesera crowned national Sitting volleyball champions

Meanwhile, the men’s competition features two groups: Kenya, Rwanda, and Algeria were drawn in Group A, while Group B consists of Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, and South Africa

ALSO READ: Sitting V-ball: Rwanda women book ticket to Paris Paralympics 2024

While Rwanda’s men’s group opponents look tough to overcome considering their continental experience, the women’s pool appears even tighter, with Rwanda’s rising form and Nigeria’s physical style presenting serious threats.

The top two teams from this championship will qualify for the 2025 Sitting Volleyball World Cup in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and eventually book a place in the 2026 World Championships in Hangzhou, China.

Only two African slots are available for each gender, adding pressure on the hosts to not only deliver as organizers but also secure qualification.

ALSO READ: Sitting V-ball: Rwanda women book ticket to Paris Paralympics 2024

Led by head coach, Mosaad Elaiuty in 2024, Rwanda won the women's title by defeating Kenya in the final, while in the men's title, they finished third after defeating Algeria.

Rwanda is currently ranked second in Africa in the men's category and first in the women' fray, and is looking to maintain its dominance on the continental stage.