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ESWATINI VB ZONE VI DREAM UP IN SMOKE

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MBABANE – Focus shifts to fighting for a better ranking.

Despite being knocked out in the early stages of Zone VI Volleyball Championships, Eswatini representatives still have a chance to improve their ranking ahead of next year’s tournament in Maseru, Lesotho. Eswatini envoys in Correctional Sunrise male and female teams crashed out in the group stages of the Confederation of African Volleyball Zone VI Senior Clubs regional tournament. They are now fighting for best rank against other teams that have also been eliminated in the group stages. The best ranks will determine seeding for next year’s championships. Both teams were placed in Pool A in their respective group categories, which were made of only uniformed teams and they failed to finish either first or second to progress to the next stage.

However, the reigning 2022 Select Limited Volleyball Association (VA) champions managed to win a single match each. The 2018 champions, Correctional Ladies, who are under the tutelage of Mbuso ‘Phamphetha’ Vilakati won their opening game when they beat Zambia’s Prison Leopard 3-2. They then lost the other fixtures to Botswana’s Police VI and Support Unit from Zimbabwe.

Beat

Meanwhile, the Themba Sifundza-led male team managed to beat Zimbabwe police and 2017 champions Support Unit 3-0 and suffered two defeats to host teams Nkwazi and Green Eagles. The tournament is staged in Lusaka, Zambia. Further, the Chef de Mission, Mgcini Ngwenya, was impressed by Eswatini team’s performance. Ngwenya claimed that there was manipulation of the tournament rules for the males’ team which denied them a chance to progress to the next stage. He also added that despite Correctional teams dominating local volleyball courts, that experience helped them match their opponents pound for pound. He was of the view that if the teams could get enough financial support to play friendly matches with their regional counterparts, they could perform better in the next championships. This tournament which features over 30 male and female teams from other countries such as South Africa, Malawi and Mozambique will see champions walk away with about E26 500  grand prizes plus a ticket to Egypt to represent the region.

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