Cairo, Egypt, March 31, 2015 – Pipeline of Kenya, Ahly and Shams of Egypt) and Carthage of Tunisia all booked their ticket in the semifinal of the 2015 Women's African Club Championship on Tuesday, coming through their quarterfinals with ease.
Pipeline surprised defending champions GSP of Algeria with their highly disciplined blockers and backline defence earning a 3-0 (25-15, 25-21, 25-21) win. Carthage needed only 66 minutes to fly past Revenue Authority of Rwanda 3-0 (25-12, 25-19, 25-15).
Shams showed great consistency and power to overcome Vision of Uganda 3-0 (25-17, 25-10, 25-10) as Ahly completed the semifinal line up after they saw off FAP of Cameroon, also in straight sets (25-14, 25-17, 25-22)
Wednesday features four matches as Vision meet GSP, RRA battle it out against FAP in the playoff 5 to 8 positions, while ARSU line up against Kutlwano and Injis battle against KCB in the play off 9 to 12 positions.
Quarterfinal 1-8
Pipeline (Kenya) v GSP (Algeria) 3-0 (25-15, 25-21, 25-21)
Carthage (Tunisia) v RRA (Rwanda) 3-0 (25-12, 25-19, 25-15)
Shams (Egypt) v 3-0 Vision (Uganda) 3-0 (25-17, 25-10, 25-10)
Ahly (Egypt) v FAP (Cameroon) 3-0 (25-14, 25-17, 25-22)
Pipeline of Kenya were on top form as they easily disposed of GSP in the first quarterfinal of the day.
Middle blocker Ruth Jepngetich was the star of the show, blocking the strong Algerian attackers while opposite Esther Wangechi top scored with 18 points.
Carthage beat RRA in the second quarterfinal, with the Tunisian side booking a place in the semifinal for the second year in a row. Attacker Mariem Brik led the scorers with 11 points, while Serphine Mukantambara led the losers with 10 points. The Tunisians led in spikes (31-17) and blocking (7-4) also.
Shams cruised past Vision in the third quarterfinal match with opposite Aya Elshami spiking aggressively in the win. The Ugandan team, who qualified for the quarterfinals in their debut at the competition, played their utmost, but Shams experience proved too much. Aya Elshami led the scorers with 18 points.
Ahly used their strong service to overcome FAP in the last quarterfinal. Yuniska Robles led the scorers with 17 points while FAP's Simone Bikatal notched up 11 points for her side. Ahly used the combinations led by setter Shourok Foad to end the job quickly in the first set, before FAP improved their reception in the second to stay close until 14-14, when Ahly again moved ahead. The third set was also competitive until Ahly upped the tempo in attack to win.
Playoff 9-16
ARSU (Seychelles) v Saltigue (Senegal) 3-2 (25-11, 25-12, 21-25, 15-25, 15-10)
ARSU Seychelles overcame Saltigue Senegal in an epic tiebreaker 3-2 (25-11, 25-12, 21-25, 15-25, 15-10) in the playoff for 9 to 16. Saltigue finished their campaign in the competition in 13th position, while ARSU now play in the 9 to 12 playoff.
Play off 5 to 12 Programme on Wednesday April 1, 2015
Playoff 5-8
Vision (UGA) Vs. GSP (ALG)
RRA (RWA) Vs. FAP (CMR)
Playoff 9-12
ARSU (SEY) Vs Kutlwano (BOT)
Injis (CMR) Vs. KCB (KEN)