After coming too close to winning but falling short twice and being subdued in their third encounter, debutants Eldoret Water (Eldowas) finally got it right as they registered their first top-tier victory.
The newly promoted side fought relentlessly to edge out last season’s silver medalists, Kenya Ports Authority 3-2 as the first leg of the 2025-2026 Kenya Volleyball Federation (KVF) Men’s National League ended yesterday at Kasarani Indoor Arena.
Unlike their first two encounters which they failed to kill off the game, losing by the same margin, Eldowas were more composed, making well-calculated moves that would see them outwit the dockers to carry the day.
Eldowas coach, Mathias Kosgei, was full of praise for his charges and thanked them for playing well.
“I thank my boys for a good display. When we started playing, we lost narrowly to AP Kenya and KDF, though Kenya Prisons totally overpowered us and we did not get a set or a point from them,” Kosgei said.
He revealed that going into the first leg, they had agreed to secure a point from every match and chalk up one win.
“We had agreed with my boys that in all four matches we would get points from some of the games, but must win one because all our opponents were strong. So, when we lost our third match, we resolved to do everything within our power to beat KPA.” He added that they had to find a strategy that would help them against the dockers.
“KPA have a very good side, and so we had to watch their matches to find a way of playing against them. It helped us know their strengths and weaknesses, which help us get the better of them,” he concluded.
KPA was without doubt the better side going into the encounter, thanks to their great form last year and a great display in their first three matches. They started very strongly, taking the first set 25-19.
However, determined to secure their first win, Eldowas fought persistently to take the second set 29-27. The third set was also evenly contested, with both teams pushing to take the lead. Eldowas held the nerve to snatch the set 28-26 for a 2-1 advantage. The dockers dominated the fourth set, easily taking it 25-11 to draw level. Eldowas recovered to win the decisive set 15-11.
In another encounter, Equity Bank beat Rift Valley Prisons 3-1 (25-11, 17-25, 25-21, 25-13) to bag their second win. The bankers, who had a false start losing their opening two matches, regained their footing and are now strong contenders for a play-offs slot.
Former league champions Kenya Prisons maintained their unbeaten run with a straight sets 25-21, 25-22 and 25-23 win against their Prisons Nairobi counterparts.
