Gisagara win volleyball Heroes Cup

WednesdayFinals: MenGisagara 3-0 REGWomenRRA 3-0 APRMen 3rd positionUTB 3-0 Kirehe Giragara Volleyball Club coach Fidele Nyirimana has hailed his players after defeating Rwanda Energy Group (REG) to win the inaugural Heroes Day tournament, which concluded on Wednesday evening at Amahoro Indoor Stadium. The league defending champion saw off their opponents in straight sets 3-0 in one hour and 38 minutes to win the first title under Nyirimana, who joined in November 2017 from rivals Kirehe Volleyball Club. Gisagara dominated the game from start to the end, winning the first set 25-21 and although REG improved and put up a spirited fight, it fell shot as they still lost the set 26-24 and Nyirimana’s team sealed victory easily in the last set 25-15. “This is sweet because we beat one of the best teams in the country, a team that is expected to challenge for the league title. We had a clear game plan to stop their captain (Aimable Mutuyimana) and Flavier Ndamukunda, who were their focal point. So I am happy our plan has worked,” Nyirimana said. About the game plan, Nyirimana revealed that, “The plan was to have strong services and block, especially focusing on their key players.” It was sweet revenge for Gisagara, who had lost the previous three meetings with REG, who won 3-0 in group stages on Heroes Day tourney. Jean Paul Mana’s REG also defeated Gisagara 3-0 in group stages of Gisagara pre-season tourney and 3-0 in the final of the same competition, meaning that they came into the final having collected 9-0 sets in three matches. University of Tourism, Technology and Business Studies (UTB) beat Kirehe 3-0 in the third place playoff, while Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA) thumped archrivals APR 3-0 (25-15, 25-21 and 25-15) to claim the women’s title. Both Gisagara and RRA took the trophy and Rwf200,000 in cash prize while second-placed APR and REG got Rwf100,000. UTB received Rwf50,000. editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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Gisagara win volleyball Heroes Cup