Adhiambo gives hope to Malkia Strikers ahead of Paris Games

Malkia Strikers attacker Pamela Adhiambo in action against Puerto Rico during the quarter-finals of the FIVB Challenger Cup match in Manila, Philippines. [KVF Media]

Though Kenya women national volleyball team Malkia Strikers lost the FIVB quarter-finals Challenger Cup match to Puerto Rico, Pamela Adhiambo’s impressive show will go down in history as one of the best performances by a Kenyan on the global stage.

Malkia Strikers showed improvement despite losing in straight sets of 25-20, 25-19 and 27-25 in a match played on Thursday in Manila, Philippines.

As volleyball pundits would say, all odds were against the Kenyans who were meeting a nation ranked five places above them and a side they had lost to in five previous encounters.

Perhaps it was on the backdrop of this reality and a possible elimination that Adhiambo resolved to seize the moment and make every second on court count.

Her dazzling display rekindled the memories of the 2018 Kenya Secondary Schools Term Two games that brought her to the limelight.

Not a fan favourite at first, Adhiambo would play her way into the hearts of volleyball enthusiasts through her prowess, killer jumps and attacks that wowed crowds and left them with no choice but to sing her praises.

And just like Malkia Strikers lost to the Caribbeans, Adhiambo’s Nyakach Girls would exit the competition at the group stage but her output against giants Kwanthanze, Cheptil and Tetu Girls was good enough to earn her the most valuable player award.

In Eldoret, Adhiambo had seized the opportunity, played her heart out and made a mark that would later earn her a place in the national under-20 team.

In Manila, she will be banking on her outstanding performance as she hopes that her name will be on the list when coach Munala finally names the Paris Olympics squad.

Coming off the bench for Sharon Chepchumba, Adhiambo would prove her mettle to emerge the games top scorer with 22 points.

Puerto Rico’s Grace Lopez who proved to be the pain in Kenyan flesh was second on the score sheet with 19 points. The opposite hitter seemed to be the only Kenyan player that troubled the Puerto Ricans who struggled to contain her.

Puerto Rico would maintain a five to six points lead for the better part of the first set before Adhiambo would lead the Kenyans who were trailing 14-20 to a five-point run.

Her Brilliance would see Puerto Rico coach Juan Carlos Nunez call a time out that destroyed the Kenyans momentum. The Caribbeans would regain their footing to restore a five-point lead and snatch the first set.

The Kenyans were outplayed in the second set with libero Agripina Kundu’s back-to-back errors seeing Puerto Rico take a 7-2 lead before coach Japheth Munala called for a timeout to put his house in order.

The pep talk seemed to bear fruit as Kenya recovered to close the gap before crumbling again to lose the set and give the opponent a 2-0 lead.

The third set was tightly contested with the Kenyans looking to have gained confidence. However, they would be outsmarted despite denying Puerto Rico two match-points.

All eyes will now be on coach Munala as he trims the team to his final Olympics squad that will proceed to Miramas, France for camp while the dropped players will return home.