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Sport-S, KCB-Nkumba ruled 2024

KCB Nkumba has every reason to celebrate. PHOTO/COURTESY
What you need to know:
Sport-S led by players like Samuel Engwau, Emmanuel Okia, Moses Odeke, Dickens Otim and Daniel Gum Malil Yuol, cruised in the regular season before defeating UCU Doves in the semifinals.
Sport-S successfully defended their National Volleyball League title in 2024 following a 2-0 finals series win over KAVC.
The Nsambya outfit defeated KAVC 3-0 in Game One and 3-1 in Game Two to close the series and attract wild celebrations from their faithful supporters.
Sport-S led by players like Samuel Engwau, Emmanuel Okia, Moses Odeke, Dickens Otim and Daniel Gum Malil Yuol, cruised in the regular season before defeating UCU Doves in the semifinals.
With KAVC shockingly eliminating Nemostars in the semis, Sport-S’ made light work of the five-time champions to retain the crown.
Not even the departure of Thon Maker to REG after the first round or the unavailability of Johnson Rukundo due to work commitments could stop Sport-S.
Even when the club got disagreements with setter Marino Oboke following the player’s request to join Rwanda’s Gisagara on a lucrative three-month contract, Moses Odeke put his hand up to get the job done.
Warren Muhangi’s charges have since added receiver-attacker Duke Philip Komukama, who helped the side to the UCU Open Tournament at the start of the new season.
KCB-Nkumba roar
KCBB-Nkumba were never considered by many in the title race when the season started but ended up defeating Ndejje Elites 3-1 in the finals to lift the trophy.
Tonny Lakony’s charges quietly went about their business and ended the regular season with a decent 15-3 record.
Two of the three losses, however, came at the hands of Ndejje and understandably, the Lubowa based side were the underdogs going into the finals.
But the team made the right adjustments in the series. Series are won by teams that recognise and make the right adjustments, and Nkumba won that battle.
Simply put, Lakony outclassed Winyi at the most important stage of the season to beat him to the title.
Riding on the high block in the middle provided by Jennifer Alungat and Nancy Chebet, KCB-Nkumba had answers for Ndejje’s offense in the two games won.
Hadija Achelun, the lone setter on the team, also connected well with her attackers while the return of Monica Aloyo to the team further gave KCB-Nkumba options.
Her ability to switch between opposite and receiver-attacker roles allowed Lakony to employ her according to each game’s demands.
In the end, fingers were pointed at a dismal collapse by Ndejje, who hadn’t lost a game until the finals, but KCB-Nkumba deserve all the credit for wearing the underdog tag and riding on it to deliver the decisive punch and lift the title.
On top of the league title, KCB-Nkumba added the National Club Championship, defeating KCCA in the final to complete the double.

Sport-S are imperious.
Nemo back
Nine years later, Nemostars were able to win the National Clubs Championship.
The Kololo-based side ran over rivals Sport-S 3-1 in the final to remind themselves of how it feels to win the biggest tournament on the Uganda Volleyball Federation calendar.
Having last won the tournament in 2015, Nemostars played a near-perfect match against the most on-form team in the country to roll back the years.
The rescheduled final saw Sport-S play without their setter Moses Odeke and what had been anticipated to be a close contest turned out to be one-sided.
Sport-S had defeated Nemostars in straight sets to top Pool A but when it mattered most, it was the six-time league champions who did enough to grab the trophy and qualify for next year’s CAVB Africa Clubs Championship.
The experience of team captain George Aporu, setter Smith Okumu and middle blocker Bernard Malinga, Nemostars got out of the blocks early to clinch the first two sets 25-20 and 25-19 to leave Sport-S in a spot of bother.
The league champions, who were looking to win the trophy for a fourth straight time, responded by taking the third frame 25-19 to restore hope but Nemostars closed the game in the fourth (25-19) to send their fans into wild celebrations.
Nemostars also added the Dr. Aporu Okol Tournament trophy to their cabin to end the year with silverware.
The club had not won a major event since clinching the league in 2019.
Nasiwu, Omuriwe go international
Uganda Volleyball Federation President Sadik Nasiwu was officially voted into office CAVB Zone 5 President for the next four years.
Nasiwu defeated Rwanda’s Fernand Ruterana in the elections held during the CAVB Congress in Egypt in August, getting eight of the 12 available votes to beat the incumbent to the seat.
The zonal offices have since shifted from Rwanda to the Ugandan capital, Kampala.
Nasiwu, who is also the Treasurer of the Uganda Olympic Committee, pledged to attract more technical courses for coaches and referees in a bid to ensure continued growth of the game in the zone.
Meanwhile KCCA head coach Shilla Omuriwe was appointed FIVB Instructor, becoming the first Ugandan to hold that role.
Omuriwe spent part of 2024 in Canada for the Women in Sport High-performance (WISH) pathway program.
WISH is a mentorship and training program, jointly supported by Olympic Solidarity and a number of International Federations.
Friuli visit
Reigning National Volleyball League and Club Championship winners KCB-Nkumba hosted a delegation of 15 people from Friuli, Italy.
Friuli-Venezia Giulia is one of the 20 regions of Italy and one of five autonomous regions. The regional capital is Trieste on the Gulf of Trieste, a bay of the Adriatic Sea.
The two sides have shared a relationship that stretches back to 2018, when the Ugandan side sent players to Italy for a 10-day tour and friendly matches.
In Uganda, Friuli faced KCB-Nkumba, Sport-S, KAVC and the national team select in friendly matches to strengthen relations with Uganda.
League growth
Ugandan volleyball took a step forward after Sport-S acquired equipment to stream matches on their YouTube channel.
All league matches have since been shown live, allowing technical teams to employ film sessions in assessment of their sides.
The league also returned to the Lugogo Indoor Stadium, with midweek action adding a bit of spice to the competition.
2024 highlights
League winners: Sport-S, KCB-Nkumba
National Championship winners: Nemostars, KCB-Nkumba
Sadik Nasiwu voted Zone V President
Shilla Omuriwe appointed FIVB Instructor