Rwanda women's volleyball team captain Valentine Munezero has commended her teammates for showing a fighting spirit that led the country to a fourth place finish in the just-concluded 2023 Women's African Nations Volleyball Championship. Rwanda enjoyed an impressive campaign despite losing to hosts Cameroon 3-1 (25-21, 25-15, 25-14 and 25-15) in the third place playoff in a feisty match that lasted 115 minutes. ALSO READ: Rwanda finish in fourth place after Cameroon loss Munezero was at the peak of her form with remarkable performances that saw her named Best Server of the tournament. Giving her verdict on Rwanda’s performance in Cameroon, she Times Sport that, “We did well. We gave our best as a team. We failed to win a medal but, on the other hand, I am thankful that my team achieved this and this is just the first step for us. So we will need to work hard in the future.” We still have a long way to go in women’s volleyball but we showed that we are capable of reaching the elite level in Africa if we can get good preparations from a very young age, she added. Rwanda women's volleyball team made history by reaching in semifinals of the 2023 Women's African Nations championship for the very first time in women’s category, and Munezero only felt proud of being part of the history making team. She said Rwanda has proved doubters wrong at the international scene and is confident the country can achieve more and challenge elite Volleyball nations in the future against all odds. When you look at the way we played against champions Kenya in the first game, Cameroon in third place and Egypt in the semifinals, we showed everyone that Rwanda can produce the best players in volleyball compared to the way these teams play international matches for the last four matches, she noted. Kenya’s Malkia Strikers stunned Egypt in the final to win the championship after a 3-0 (22-25, 20-25 & 14-25) win at the Multipurpose Sports Complex in the Cameroonian capital. ALSO READ: Volleyball: Kenya stun Egypt to clinch African women championship title The countries that finished in the top three in the tournament namely Kenya, Egypt and Cameroon will represent Africa at the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship. Individual awards Best setter: Misoki Emmanuela (Kenya) Best Server: Valentine Munezero (Rwanda) Best blocker: Ahmed Aya (Egypt) Best receiver: Mercy Moim Mercy (Kenya) Best attacker: Adiana Estelle (Cameroon) Best libero: Essa Nada (Egypt) Most valuable player: Kiprono Sharon Chepchumba Chumba (Kenya)
