WINDHOEK – Both the Namibian men and women’s volleyball teams carved themselves a place in the next Zone VI qualifying round of the All Africa Volleyball Championships to be hosted by Zambia on a yet to be confirmed date in September this year.
The women’s volleyball team finished in an astonishing 2nd place in their opening qualifying round match in Lilongwe, Malawi last month while the men’s team ended in 3rd place to claim the last available qualifying berth ahead of hosts Malawi, who ended the four-nation qualifying round with the wooden spoon. Thirty-three-year-old veteran beanpole spiker Rehabeam Hengari, who skippered the men’s team was deservedly voted the best spiker of the tournament, while his female counterpart Eline Vendjo, who coincidently also captained the ladies team returned the compliment to her compatriot when she was voted the best spiker of the tournament in the women’s category.
The final qualifying round for Zone VI member states will be held in Zambia (men) and Botswana (ladies) where Namibia will join the likes of Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Swaziland and Mozambique. The top two finishers from the six-nation qualifiers will earn the right to represent the Zone VI at the All Africa Championships, which serves as final qualifiers for the prestigious world championships. Apart from hosts Malawi, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe completed the line-up for the highly competitive 4-nation qualifying round.
Story by Carlos Kambaekwa