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Egypt's Women Sweep Kenya, Reach LA28 🌍
Egypt had not won this championship since 2003 and had never reached an Olympic Games at all. Kenya and Cameroon go to the 2027 World Cup as runners-up and third.
Africa's place at the Los Angeles Olympics belongs to Egypt. They beat Kenya 3-0 (25-21, 25-15, 25-15) at the Kasarani Indoor Arena on Friday night, in a full arena that had come to see Kenya win an eleventh African title.
No Egyptian women's volleyball team has ever been to an Olympic Games.
This is also Egypt's fourth African title and their first since 2003, a gap the FIVB puts at 23 years.
Six Olympic Games have been staged in that time. Athens, Beijing, London, Rio, Tokyo and Paris all came and went without Egypt in the women's volleyball draw, and the seventh is the one they are going to.
Kenya were the hosts, the defending champions and the ten-time winners of this championship, and they had not lost a match in Nairobi until Friday. They lost the final in three straight sets on their own floor.
Egypt Did Not Lose a Match in Nairobi
Egypt went through pool play and the knockout rounds without dropping a match, per the FIVB. Kenya took the first set to 21 and did not get past 15 in either of the other two.
Kenya had swept Cameroon 3-0 (25-19, 25-20, 25-20) on Thursday, by six points, five and five, and lost every set of the one that mattered.
Egypt had beaten Rwanda 3-0 (25-5, 25-17, 32-30) the same evening, winning one set by twenty points and needing 32 to win another.
Egypt have now won six sets across the last two rounds in Nairobi and lost none.
Egypt Took Five of Eight All-Star Places
Maryam Metwally was named most valuable player of the championship and one of its two best outside hitters. Doaa Mohamed was named best setter, Nada Waleed best libero and Nada Meawad the other outside hitter, which is five of the eight places to Egypt.
Kenya took two of the other three. Malyne Terry Tata was named best opposite hitter and Elizabeth Marian Sokoiyo one of the two best middle blockers, alongside Cameroon's Cecile Nabyong.
The Kenyan and Egyptian reports of the awards do not spell the Egyptian names the same way, and one of them attaches a first name to Nada Meawad that belongs to nobody. We are using the Egyptian renderings.
Metwally was named twice, as the most valuable player of the championship and as one of its outside hitters.
Three Teams Leave With World Cup Places
Cameroon beat Rwanda 3-0 (25-17, 25-16, 25-19) in the bronze match. Second and third place both carry a berth at the 2027 Women's World Cup, which the United States and Canada are hosting.
Egypt had banked theirs by reaching the final on Thursday. Rwanda finish fourth with nothing, having reached the last four by beating Ghana.
Egypt left Kasarani with the title, five of the eight all-star places and the only Olympic place on the continent. Kenya left with the World Cup place they had already banked on Thursday.
