Nemostars, Sport-S still top, OBB want to pose a threat

National Clubs Championship finalists Nemostars and Sport-S are the two teams tipped by many to fight for this year’s National Volleyball League title.

The two sides possess the talent and experience to challenge for top honours.

Halfway into the season, the two lead the way with 24 points from nine games.

They have both lost a single game for an 8-1 record with nine more regular season games to come in the second round.

“We are just halfway the journey. We got  exposed on several occasions but managed bounce bank,” Nemostars’ head coach Andrew Okapis told Score.

“So far, so good but the real job begins in the second round,” he added.

The defending champions were flawless until their 3-1 loss to newly promoted Orange Block Busters.

With the second round of the season expected to start mid-January, Okapis is worried the festive season could affect his players’ fitness levels.

“The holidays are long and these might take a toll on players. We need to find a way to work around it so that we can maintain our fitness levels,” he said.

Warren Muhangi’s Sport-S were also unbeaten until their 3-1 loss to Nemostars.

Muhangi, who maintains that Sport-S are underdogs in the title race, believes the first round has expossed the challenges that came with the long layoff.

“I think teams were excited for the start of the league but not ready,” he opined.

Teams had last played league volleyball in 2019 and many have struggled to find their footing upon resumption.

The player-coach believes the competition has greatly been affected by the long layoff.

UCU Doves are the classic example of the lockdown effects and only started their season after four game days.

The team struggled to get players after most of those that played in 2019 completed studies and moved on.

OBB in it

OBB is the other team to have lost a single game so far.

The Iganga based outfit still have two games left in the first round but made a statement by beating defending champions Nemostars.

With their 6-1 record, OBB take on Prisons and Airforce to complete their first round today.

Victories in the two games will leave Lawrence Yakan’s troops just behind both Nemostars and Sport-S.

“The games have all been challenging and have given us homework to do for the second round,” OBB opposite Ivan Ongom said.

The former Sport-S hard-hitter is confident his team can challenge any of the top teams in the title race.

Men’s table standings

Team    P    W    L    Pts
1. Sport-S     9     8     1     24
2. Nemostars    9     8     1     24
3. OBB     7     6     1     17
4. KAVC-A     9     6     3     14
5. Nkumba    9     4     5     13
6. KCCA     8     3     5     8
7. Prisons    7     2     5     7
8. Ndejje    9     2     7     7
9. UCU     7     1     6     5
10. Airforce    8    1     7     4

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