Rwanda secured their spot in the quarterfinals of the ongoing African Volleyball Championship which is underway in Cairo, Egypt, after beating Senegal in three straight sets 25-21, 25-16 and 25-17 on Wednesday to finish second behind Morocco in Group D. Paulo de Tarso’s side was dominant throughout the game, winning the first set 25-21 before claiming the second 25-16. In the third set, Rwanda claimed the opening points against Senegal and kept marching and resilient as they pegged their opponents back to win the third set by 25-17 to claim their second win in three matches, hence finishing the group stages with six points. As a result, Rwanda progressed to the quarter-finals alongside table leaders Morocco who beat Gambia 3-0 to finish the group stages with three wins from three matches. Senegal and Gambia will place classification matches after finishing in the bottom two places. Rwanda will face either Mali or Tanzania in quarterfinals and could potentially face hosts Egypt in the semifinals if both sides manage to reach the last four stage. Skipper Wycliff Dusenge and his teammates will need to be more aggressive, especially from the start, if they are to reach the knockout stages. From piling pressure on the opposing side with sharp services, attacks, settings, receptions, defense and tight blocks, the team still has room for improvement in various departments. With De Tarso at the helm, the men’s team is now aiming to follow the footsteps of their sisters when they reached the semifinals for the very first time in the country’s history. The Brazilian would be even happier to inspire the team to the finals and write a new story with Rwanda and at the same time improve his CV. The East African representatives previously reached the semis twice in 2011 and 2015.
