Rwanda’s U-21 national volleyball team will be looking for a clear win when they take on USA in the FIVB World Championships for Men in Turkey today. Paul Bitok’s team has been unstoppable in the warm-up games, winning all games against Turkish junior clubs as they prepared to compete on the world stage for the first time in the junior category. “Our preparations were good as we played and won all our warm-up matches against good teams here (in Turkey). Although we will start off against one of the title favourites, we are ready for the challenge,” the Kenyan coach told Times Sport from Istanbul yesterday. He added, “My team has not played at such a big stage before, it is a big challenge for all of us, but we are looking forward to the games with much interest.” The junior team won their final warm-up match against Arkas 3-1 (21-25, 25-20, 25-14 and 25-20) on yesterday. The tournament, which takes place every two years, provides a platform for the next generation of stars to showcase their skills on the international stage and potentially take the big step into the senior ranks. It is the first time that Turkey will host the Men’s Under 21 World Championships; the country has hosted the Women’s U20 World Championship in 2005 and the Girls’ U18 World Championship in 2011.
