Bitok buoyant ahead of Egypt clash

RWANDA men’s volleyball team head coach Paul Bitok is optimistic about the country’s performance against Egypt in the FIVB World Championship sub-zonal tournament which gets underway on Thursday at Amahoro Stadium indoor stadium.The two teams play each other on Thursday and Friday despite having qualified to the next round of the FIVB World Championship qualifiers.Addressing the media on Monday, the former Kenyan international said that he respects Egypt and the two encounters will help to raise the level of play for his players.“Egypt is a good side which has vast experience in Africa. We equally have a good pool of talented players who are hungry for success. So the matches will leave a positive impact on the team,”The absence of Sudan and Ethiopia saw Rwanda and Egypt qualify to the second round-Zone V championship which will be staged in Rwanda in November.“Even though we have qualified to the next zonal round, we have to be ready for the task ahead because with Egypt already guaranteed qualification, we have to ensure that we finish among the best two to reach the final qualification round,”“Rwanda is among the best teams in Africa and with the availability of our talented players, I believe we will reach far. We are confident in staging good performances in the next rounds,” added Bitok.Rwanda will be looking to make the most of home advantage when they host Zone 5 championship in November where they will be eying qualification to the third and final round.Egypt, Cameroon and Tunisia are through to the final round where twelve teams will be divided into three pools in January and February 2014, where the leader of each pool will qualify to the 2014 World Championships due to be held in Poland.

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Bitok buoyant ahead of Egypt clash