Patrick Kavalo Akumuntu, the national volleyball team star and Gisagara left attacker, has said that he never thought volleyball would be part of his life like it is today where it is not only a passion for him but he also earns a living from the sport. Volleyball has produced some of the best athletes for the country over the years, and the trend continues as new talents emerge to keep the candle burning. Akumuntu, 28, is one of the best players of his generation. “I never thought volleyball would be part of my life like it is today, I am very passionate about the sport,” he told Times Sport on Thursday, noting that “earning a living from volleyball was the last thing on my mind when I started playing. It was just for fun.” By picking interest in volleyball, Akumuntu says, all he wanted was to be like his brother Flavier Ndakumunda, a former Rwanda international. The two are now teammates at Gisagara, where the latter is the team captain. Akumuntu, who is also a three-time reigning national beach volleyball champion, rejoined Gisagara at the beginning of last season at a reported fee of Rwf6 million on a two-year deal, which ends in August this year. Patrick Kavalo Akumuntu (#17) and his brother, Flavier Ndamukunda (#8), seen here in a past national team game against Uganda at Amahoro Stadium, play for two-time league champions Gisagara volleyball club. Kavalo made his league debut in 2010. / File Being one of the most sought after players in local volleyball, this publication understands that a number of clubs including his former team UTB and Rwanda Energy Group are likely to launch a bid for his signature at the end of the 2019-20 season. “I am happy at Gisagara, it has been a great two years and I would be thrilled to extend my stay. However, I would also not mind signing for a different club if we don’t agree on terms of the contract,” Akumuntu further added. “If I get an opportunity to play in a more advanced league, I would not hesitate to take it.” League career Akumuntu made his league debut with now-defunct side Kigali Institute of Education (KIE) volleyball team in early 2010 and featured for the university side for two seasons before joining UNIK (formerly UNATEK), also on a two-year deal. After the 2013/2014 season, the celebrated spiker signed for Lycee de Nyanza and helped the club to finish in second place in the national top tier league but he only played there one year before rejoining Ngoma District-based UNIK. During his second two-year stint at the club, then under Dominique Ntawangundi as head coach, Akumuntu helped the team to win two league titles in a row in 2015 and 2016. After leading UNIK to an unprecedented two-year dominance, Akumuntu along with his brother, Ndamukunda, and now his coach Pierre Marshal Kwizera, were signed by then league debutants Gisagara Volleyball Club and went on to help the club win the 2016-17 championship. The Rwanda international switched to UTB after one season with Gisagara before rejoining the Gisagara District-sponsored side at the start of the 2018-19 campaign.
