The Sunday Mail
Brighton Zhawi
ZIMBABWEAN side UZ Wolves were the worst team at the African Volleyball Club Championship in Tunisia last month.
And if it’s true there are more lessons in defeats than in wins, then the UZ Wolves’ experience at the continental tournament saw them coming back home with distinctions.
The local women’s volleyball giants were belittled in Kelibia City where the continent’s top volleyball clubs converged from April 6-15. The Wolves just could not roar, succumbing to white wash defeats in a difficult group B containing the number one ranked side Al Ahly, Prisons of Kenya (ranked third), Marsa (Tunisia) and Bejaia from Algeria.The Wolves finished last on position 17 and could not qualify to play placement matches. The chastening they received in Tunisia left head coach Jonathan Gava admitting that his team are still miles away from matching the standards being set on the continent. “In our Wolves culture we do not lose, we learn or win,” he said.
“We learnt that there is a lot that is required to turn someone into a top player, for example investing in the equipment, balls, gym and the court itself.“It’s quite an uphill task playing against professionals whose job is playing volleyball.” Gava believes the continental experience will whet Wolves’ appetite for more domestic success. “We have to earn the right to play at such tournaments and that right only comes with winning domestic competitions.
“We are going to change our training programmes since we now know what to expect when playing on the continent. We were fortunate to be drawn in the same stage with Africa’s finest and we learnt our lessons,” he said. Meanwhile, the country’s senior beach volleyball teams are preparing for the Beach Volleyball Africa Championship set for Maputo, Mozambique from May 10-15.
The top four finishers from this tournament will book a place at the World Beach Volleyball Championships scheduled for Austria in July.
