Leemisa Thuseho
GREEN Spikes volleyball club team manager, Mooka Tšoeu, has described this year’s Confederation of African Volleyball (CAVB) Zone Six Senior Indoor Club Championships as a learning curve.
The team was participating in the tournament which started on 6 January 2022 and ended in Maputo, Mozambique yesterday. The side finished at the bottom of the 10 participating sides.
But despite the dismal performance, Tšoeu said he was happy with the exposure his side got.
This was Green Spikes’ debut appearance having finished third in the National A Division Volleyball League in 2019. Redskins won the title that season and were followed by LDF.
The three teams qualified for the championship but only Green Spikes managed to travel while other faced financial difficulties.
Green Spikes lost all their games and finished the tournament in 10th.
In their first game, the side lost 3-0 to Highlanders of Zimbabwe before losing 3-0 to another Zimbabwean side, Wolves. In their third, game they lost 3-0 to Unizambeze of Mozambique.
The team also lost 3-0 to Nkwazi of Zambia in their last game, ending the tournament without a win.
Speaking to the Sunday Express this weekend, Tšoeu said despite the poor showing, his players gained a lot from the tournament.
“This is our first time playing at a regional level, the level of performance is higher than we are used to a home,” Tšoeu said.
“But I think we learnt a lot, we gained experience and exposure.
“This was a learning curve, next time we will be better. We went to the tournament to test our strengths and now we know where to improve.”
Tšoeu said he intends to capitalise on the experience that they got from the tournament to improve their campaign this year to ensure that they qualify for the next edition of the CAVB Zone Six Championships.
Green Spikes are the fourth local team to have ever played in the tournament after Redskins, LDF and Rovers.
The championships ware followed by CAVB annual general meeting from Friday until yesterday.