Lovemore Dube, [email protected]
CHIMOIO Volleyball Club director Stan Manduna has declared his charges ready for the national volleyball play-offs as they seek to cap an impressive Premier Volleyball League campaign with the title.
Chimoio finished second in the round-robin stage of the league, behind St Collins, earning a quarter-final date with Black Mambas in Harare today.
The encounter is part of the national play-offs, which will see the country’s top men’s and women’s teams battle for honours. Victory for Chimoio will set up a semi-final clash against either
Chinhoyi University of Technology or Black Rhinos.
“We are now putting the final nail in the coffin as we prepare to leave tomorrow (today). Our boys have done very well this season; it is better than last year. Last year, they finished fourth in the Zimbabwe Premier Volleyball League,” said Manduna as the players went through their final preparations at Bulawayo Athletic Club.
Chimoio have enjoyed a strong season, finishing just one point behind league leaders St Collins and Manduna believes his side has what it takes to progress to the semi-finals.
“They are number two on the log standings, one point behind St Collins. This Saturday (today), at the University of Zimbabwe, they are facing Black Mambas once again. We played against each other in Masvingo last month and we prevailed.
“But you never know what can happen in sport. However, there is a 99 percent chance that we are going to beat them again. The boys are doing very well,” said Manduna.
He said the club was receiving tremendous support from stakeholders, sponsors, parents and the business community, which had played an important role in its progress.
Manduna also revealed that Chimoio had secured qualification for the Zone Six Club Championships scheduled for Namibia next month, with stakeholders having given the team the green light to participate.
“Stakeholders have actually given us the go-ahead to travel to Namibia for the Zone Six Games from 14 to 21 December,” he said.
The mood in the Chimoio camp was upbeat during Thursday evening’s training session, with all departments showing encouraging signs ahead of the decisive encounter.
Service reception and defensive play provided setters with a steady supply of clean balls, allowing attackers to vary their approach, while the blocking department also showed good coordination.
