Egypt’s Under-17 female team won the African Nations Volleyball Championship, beating hosts Nigeria 3-1 in the final held in Moshood Abiola Stadium in Abuja, Nigeria. 

Egypt defeated Nigeria 3-1 (25-21, 20-25, 25-22, 25-21) to lift the 2023 trophy.

Not only did Egypt clinched the cup but also qualified for the 2024 World Championship.

On their way to the title, Egypt proved a tough nut to crack for Cameroon and Nigeria, winning all three matches in the competition. Egypt defeated Nigeria twice and defeated Cameroon in their second game. Having defeated Nigeria in the first match, Egypt stunned Cameroon 3-2 (23-25, 25-18, 25-22, 22-25, 15-13) in the second game to reach the final.

Nigeria had defeated Cameroon in their second match and in the semi-final to book a final date with the champions.

In the final match, the Nigeria U-17 girls failed to take the opportunity to avenge their earlier loss to the North Africans despite huge home support.

Egypt started the final on a high note and velocity, getting vital points off the host.

Nigeria resumed the second set looking more determined, leading the set by five points before Egypt leveled up but came back stronger to win the second set to level up 1-1.

The third set was entertaining as both teams showed class with their defences scampering for loose balls. Egyptian and Nigerian were drawn 20-20 before Egypt took the third set 25-22.

Reacting to the loss, Nigeria head coach Sunday Akapson said the players gave a good account of themselves. “These are young girls and this is their first time playing in an international championship. They fought hard to secure a ticket for the World Championship next year.

“This is good grassroots for Nigeria volleyball in general. We will continue to work on these girls to prepare them for future encounters,” added Akapson.    

“We are going to make Nigerians proud and in the 10 years to come they will represent the country in the Olympics,” he said.

Nigerian team captain Mirabel Onyegwu was adjudged the Most Valuable Player of the championship. Onyegwu said they wanted to win the championship, adding that they will continue to work for the next edition.

“We will work harder to win the next year’s championship and Nigerians should expect that we are going to bring back the trophy for the World Cup,” Onyegwu said

Egypt finished first, hosts Nigeria second after falling short in the final match and Cameroon placed third.

The age bracket is a new category that the Confederation de Volleyball Africane (CAVB) introduced into the continental championship.

The final match was played at the packed Moshood Abiola Stadium on Thursday in Abuja. In attendance was Nigeria’s Minister of Sports Senator John Enoh and top dignitaries.

Egypt’s coach Islam Tayea congratulated his girls for the victory, adding that it was well-deserved.

“The girls have been in camp for six months, working day and night for this competition. This is just a new category by CAVB, and the girls did well in all their games.

“We came with the intention to win all our matches in the tournament, and we played well to achieve our target.”

Egypt’s team captain Nour Al-Safi said they worked hard for the championship. “We came with the mindset to win the competition; we have been in camp for months preparing for it.

“This is our first experience outside Egypt in the competition. The weather is very hot but we are used to it because it also gets hot in Egypt.”

The Egyptian Volleyball Federation, headed by Yasser Qamar, received congratulations from Minister of Youth and Sports Ashraf Sobhi after the victory.

The federation’s board of directors also received congratulations from Bushra Hojeij, president of the African Volleyball Confederation. Hojeij praised the level of the Egyptian national team, saying it had “distinguished elements capable of providing positive performances and results for Egyptian volleyball and the African continent” during their participation in the next World Cup.

Qamar expressed his happiness after Egypt’s girls won the African title and qualified for the next World Cup. He said the board of directors succeeded in developing strong preparation programmes for all national teams, “and experts with a proud history in the global arena were contracted to lead the national teams and implement the ideas and ambitions of the board of directors”.

He thanked the entire delegation, starting with Amr Makhlouf, treasurer and head of the delegation in Nigeria, the technical staff, and the players.

The board of directors of the Egyptian Olympic Committee, headed by Hisham Hattab, extended its congratulations to the federation, players and staff, saying it was an “honorable performance and the continuation of sporting achievements”.

The board said Egyptian sports were currently achieving many sporting successes and achievements thanks to the support and care of the Egyptian state and the interest of President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi “who gave sports and athletes great unprecedented attention, the result of which was the achievement of many successes and victories and raising Egypt’s flag high in all sporting events”.

Treasurer Makhlouf said Egypt’s female players and technical staff, led by Taya, were up to the task.

“Thank God we won it because of a good effort exerted by a promising generation. We faced players older than ours. But we had the ability to win in front of opposing fans and come back after falling behind in the score in the fourth half of the final match.

“This generation is competing in official international matches for the first time and was able to win the title. They are a great gain for Egypt, and we have proven that we have distinguished Egyptian coaches.

“Our goal is not only the African Championship, but we are aiming that in the World Championship Egypt will be among the top four teams in the standings. We will undergo strong preparations and we will participate in a tournament in Italy next February which will witness strong contact with European teams, especially since we seek to build on this generation for the future,” Makhlouf said.

Three Egyptians won three individual awards. Nour Al-Safi was best receptionist, Judy Aser best playmaker and Retaj Hisham best blocker. 

“We are very proud of our team,” Hassan Abeid, the Egyptian Volleyball Federation executive director, said. “In their first appearance on the African level, they were not only able to win the cup, but three other important awards. This reflects that the federation’s strategic plan was a success as we tried to invest in young generations as they are the nuclei of the Egyptian national team in the near future.

“This shows that we are on the right path and we are writing a new chapter in history as we have been able to qualify for the World Senior Championship, both men and women’s teams, and even our Olympic team qualified for the Olympic Games in Paris 2024.”

* A version of this article appears in print in the 14 December, 2023 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly