The Uganda men’s volleyball team,
Volleyball Cranes defeated Rwanda on Tuesday to finish fifth at the CAVB African Nations Championship in Kigali, Rwanda.
The Cranes recovered from a set down to win three straight sets and stun the home team 3-1 and finish just outside the top four.
Uganda started on the back foot as Rwanda served and blocked well to keep the Cranes at bay.
Daudi Okello started struggling with his jump service and twice failed to get the ball over the net giving Rwanda easy points.
Samuel Engwau and Bernard Malinga also fluffed their serves in the first set as Rwanda ran away with it 25-21.
Okello would later switch to a more cautious approach in the service box and Uganda got consistency to pose questions for the hosts.
The reception stabilized and the block on the net improved for the Cranes in the second set and they leveled matters by taking it 25-23.
Rwanda laboured to get back their lead but couldn’t match Shilla Omuriwe’s charges and found themselves a set down.
Uganda carried their momentum into the fourth set and ensured there was no decisive set by limiting Rwanda to just 13 points in the set.
Yves Mutabazi, who was Rwanda’s standout player in the group game against Rwanda was silenced for the better part of the game.
Libero Emmanuel Elanyu and captain George Aporu dealt with the reception and initiated the attack by feeding setter Smith Okumu.
The victory ensured Uganda finished their maiden continental tournament with a 4-2 record and an impressive fifth place finish.
Fifth place playoff: Rwanda 1-3 Uganda (25-21, 23-25, 20-25, 13-25)
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