Tunisia secured their place in the quarterfinals of the Women’s African Volleyball Championship Nairobi 2026, with a decisive 3-0 victory over Mali (25-11, 25-15, 25-4) in the round of 16 on Sunday, August 30, 2026. The Tunisian team completed the match in just 1 hour and 3 minutes.
The standout player of the game was Abda N. (#2), the top scorer with 20 points, including 17 on offense and 3 on blocks. She was perfectly supported by Jenhani S. (#17), who scored 13 points thanks to 5 offenses, 4 blocks, and 4 aces.
Bouraoui S. (#13) also weighed in with 10 points (7 attacks, 1 block and 2 aces), while Ben Hamida S. (#1) added 8 points and Baazaoui A. (#6), 6 points.
Collectively, Tunisia largely took the lead with 42 attack points against 15, 14 blocks against 4 and 7 aces against 1. After two controlled first sets (25-11, 25-15), the Tunisians completely suffocated their opponents in the third set, winning 25-4 in just 15 minutes.
For Alessandra Campedelli, coach of Tunisia, this qualification marks above all a new beginning for her team after a more complicated group stage in terms of confidence.
“For us, today’s match was very important because, during the first part of the championship, we didn’t have as much confidence in our game on the field. From today, our championship has begun. I think the players were good and focused on our objective.”
The Tunisian coach believes, however, that her team still needs to improve mentally before their next challenge: Egypt in the quarter-finals.
“We still need to work on this aspect, because I know my players are capable of producing good volleyball, but sometimes they forget it. I would really like them to have more confidence in their abilities. I am sure we will be ready to play against Egypt in the next match.”
For Mali, Dionkouss (#10) finished as her team’s top scorer with 6 points, all on offense. Sissoko (#3) scored 4 points, while Nene (#5) and Mama (#9) added 3 points each.
Despite the elimination, Mali’s coach, Ibrahim Diawara, praised the commitment of his players and acknowledged Tunisia’s superiority.
“We just played against Tunisia and were beaten 3-0. The girls were determined to give their all. Unfortunately, we were up against a Tunisian team that was stronger than us, we have to admit. We congratulated them, encouraged them, and wish them all the best for the future.”
With this resounding victory, Tunisia continues its adventure in Nairobi and reaches the quarter-finals, where it will face Egypt in a duel that promises to be particularly challenging.
Egypt thrashes Burundi 3-0
Egypt secured their place in the quarterfinals of the Women’s African Nations Volleyball Championship – Nairobi 2026 – with a commanding 3-0 victory over Burundi (25-7, 25-13, 25-5) in the round of 16 on Sunday, August 30, 2026. The match lasted only 48 minutes.
From the first set, Egypt imposed their rhythm, winning 25-7 in 17 minutes. Burundi showed more resistance in the second set, but the Egyptians maintained control (25-13) before quickly closing out the third set 25-5 in just 13 minutes.
Statistics illustrate this dominance: Egypt scored 49 points in attack against 14 for Burundi, 6 points in block against 1, as well as 7 aces against none for its opponent.
Egypt boasted a very balanced attack. Meawad (#4) and Tokka (#12) finished as top scorers with 10 points each. Meawad scored 9 points on attacks and 1 on serves, while Tokka totaled 8 attacks, 1 block, and 1 ace.
Zeina (#7) follows with 8 points, all on offense. M. Ghazal (#14) and Dalia (#22) each add 6 points, while A. Khaled (#17) and Meeto (#20) have 5.
Despite Egypt’s clear superiority, Melanie Kezakimana (#14), libero of Burundi, distinguished herself in particular by her tenacity, mobility and fighting spirit in defense, continuing to battle for the ball despite the score gap.
Ghana defeats Zambia 3-1
Ghana secured their place in the quarter-finals of the Women’s African Nations Volleyball Championship – Nairobi 2026, by defeating Zambia 3 sets to 1 (27-29, 25-20, 25-19, 25-17) on Sunday, August 30, 2026. This match was part of the round of 16 of the competition, scheduled for this weekend at the Kasarani Arena.
The first set was a real battle. The two teams were tied at 19-19, 20-20, 22-22, 23-23, 24-24, 25-25, 26-26, and then 27-27. Zambia finally clinched this long first set 29-27 after 50 minutes of play.
But Ghana responded perfectly. More efficient in the next three sets, they successively imposed their rhythm 25-20, 25-19 and 25-17 to close out the match in 2 hours and 2 minutes and continue their adventure in Nairobi.
Mawuse (#10) was the key player in Ghana’s victory with 30 points, including 22 on attack, 4 on blocks, and 4 on serves. This complete performance made her the game’s top scorer.
She was well supported by Bedawu (#1), who scored 16 points (13 attacks, 2 blocks, 1 serve), while Ajara (#6) scored 12 points. Huzeifa (#14) and Sandra (#3) also contributed with 9 and 8 points respectively.
On the Zambian side, Lubasi (#10) stood out with 20 points — 14 attacks, 3 blocks and 3 serves — ahead of Beene (#8) with 14 points and Alice (#11) with 12 points.
Collectively, Ghana made the difference with 58 attack points to Zambia’s 47, 15 blocks to Zambia’s 8, and 9 service points to Zambia’s 4. This superiority, combined with Mawuse’s remarkable performance, allows the Ghanaians to reach the quarterfinals and remain in contention for the continental title. The tournament also offers the African champions direct qualification for the 2027 World Championship and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
SOURCE: CAVB
