No playoffs for Nemostars

Nemostars have come to be associated with success since the team's inception in 2005.

The last decade was a time for the team to dominate Ugandan volleyball. They won four league titles between 2015 and 2019). 

By winning the 2019 National Volleyball League title, Nemostars become six-time record champions, overtaking KAVC, who had lifted their fifth in 2014.

But since the demise of club founder Neko Moduse Ojala in June 2021, the team has struggled to get going.

The decline has been steady from losing the 2021 National Club Championship final to Sport-S to handing OBB the league title after leading the series in 2022 and failing to get out of the club championship group last September. 

The team hit rock bottom on Saturday, their 3-1 loss to defending champions ruling them out of the playoffs.

It will be the first time the Kololo-based outfit has missed out on playoffs action since 2010.

"It's going to be a very strange year for some of us; it will be an experience," Nemostars and Volleyball Cranes captain George Aporu told Daily Monitor after the team's 3-0 win over Nkumba Navy on Sunday.

That was the team's last game of the season, and Aporu admits watching from the stands will be a weird experience. 

"We woke up late, and people realised we could actually win when the regular season was ending," he added. 

That loss to OBB on Saturday was Nemostars' eighth of the season. Their 10-8 record left the club on 29 points, four behind fourth-placed OBB.

With players like Aporu, setter Smith Okumu, middle blockers Bernard Malinga and Fahad Zungu still on the team, Nemostars had pieces to negotiate the regular season and get into the playoffs.

But the loss of libero Emanuel Elanyu to KAVC and opposite Jonathan Tumukunde clearly took away a lot from the team. 

Tony Kasumba failed to fill the shoes of Tumukunde, and the team struggled to score.

"I think we got what we deserved," setter Okumu opined.

"We need to go back to the drawing board and instil a winning spirit in the boys and also work harder than we did this season," the Volleyball Cranes setter added.

Andrew Okapis' charges struggled with injuries to Aporu and Zungu but also failed to get the best out of new recruits like Deogratius Anguria and Jonathan Kigozi.

It will be an off-season and soul-searching for the record champions.

Meanwhile, KAVC and UCU Doves are back in the playoffs. OBB and table leaders Sport-S complete the playoffs roster.

The semi-finals line-up will be determined after the last games of the regular season. 

National Volleyball League

Results

Sport-S 3-0 Nkumba (25-17, 25-19, 25-15)

KCCA 3-0 Tigers (33-32, 25-20, 25-21)

OBB 3-1 Nemostars (25-19, 25-22, 17-25, 25-17)

Tigers 0-3 UCU Doves (16-25, 15-25, 15-25)

Ndejje 2-3 Sky (25-19, 22-25, 26-24, 22-25, 12-15)

OBB 3-2 KAVC (25-20, 25-14, 22-25, 22-25, 15-10)