Rio: Sitting volleyball team face US in final group match

Today Group BUSA Vs Rwanda 3p.mIran Vs China 11p.m The Rwanda national women sitting volley team face a daunting task today when they face world number two, United States, in their third and final group B match at the ongoing 2016 Rio Paralympics in Brazil. Having lost their first two games, against China and Iran, Rwanda go into today’s game seeking their first ever set victory at the games. “It will be a difficult match because we are facing probably the best team in the world, they are both technically and tactically better than us and boast a huge Paralympic experience, nonetheless we’ve a chance to improve our game compared to our performances during our last two matches,” assistant coach Jean Marie Nsengiyumva said. Rwanda lost their first two games in straight sets and were easily no-match to their opponents. In the first game, Peter Karreman’s team were brushed aside by China, three-time Paralympic Gold medalists (25-3, 25-8 and 25-6). And, on Monday, they again lost all three straight sets (25-10, 25-19 and 25-18) to the 2015 Para Volley Asia-Oceania silver medalist Iran, who are ranked ninth. That dented any hopes of making it to the next round and the focus now can only be an attempt to end their campaign on a high. “There was a noticeable improvement in our second game, against Iran, because players seemed to have gained the mood of the competition and we want to continue that spirit going into the US tie,” Nsengiyumva added. China lead Group B with two points followed by the US, who have one point; Iran are in third with one point; while Rwanda are at the bottom with no point. The top two teams will qualify for the semi-finals slated for Thursday. editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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Rio: Sitting volleyball team face US in final group match