A truly memorable and highly successful season for GS St Joseph Kabgayi as they were crowned Rwanda Serie B men’s National League Champions to complete a treble in 2023.
A four-month-long Serie B season ended in a thrilling fashion when GS St Joseph Kabgayi hosted a two-day playoff event to determine the Champions of Rwanda’s second-tier league in both men’s and women’s categories.
In the eight-team men’s playoff tournament, only GS St. Joseph Kabgayi finished all six games without dropping a single game.
On Sunday, they defeated Petit Seminaire Virgo Fidelis with ease in three straight sets (28-26, 25-23, and 25-16), then overcame Collège du Christ-Roi Nyanza in a five-set thriller (15-25, 25-20, 13-25, 25-23, and 13-15) before facing Nyanza TSS in a championship-deciding game.
GS St Joseph tipped off the game with a win in the first set, edging Nyanza TSS by five points (25-20)
The former ETO Gitarama, now Nyanza TSS came out stronger in the second set, but Kabgayi lads, with a strong fan base, stayed on top with the six-point win (25-19)
In the third and final set, GS St Joseph found themselves trailing Nyanza TSS in first points but eventually pulled away for a solid win (25-19).
Frère Innocent Akimana and his fellow Josephite brothers had a tremendous season as Groupe Scolaire St Joseph Kabgayi won a triple of domestic cups, including this highly prestigious Serie B, which was contested not only by schools but also by universities and community-based clubs.
This season, Groupe Scolaire Saint Joseph Kabgayi won the 2023 Memorial Kayumba after defeating Nyanza TSS 3-2 in the final game.
They also took home the Amashuri Kagame Cup, defeating longtime rivals Collège du Christ-Roi Nyanza.
In the women’s category, GS St Aloys Rwamagana, the Amashuri Kagame Cup winners, also clinched a Serie B title. ESB Kamonyi, Institut Sainte Joseph de Nyamasheke, and Groupe Scolaire St Joseph finished second, third, and fourth respectively
In his remarks at the awarding ceremony, the President of Rwanda Volleyball governing body lauded the quality of play in this league dominated by a large number of high schools, then tasked the high institutions of learning to preserve the talents raised by high schools
“The players perform well in high school, but there is no follow-up at the University of Rwanda. Higher education institutions need to safeguard those talents and figure out how to keep them all together.” Said Raphael Ngarambe
He continued “The University of Rwanda’s colleges splitting up has an impact on the volleyball potential. We want our high school graduates to have a better atmosphere that permits continuity as they formerly did. We’ll keep interacting with the universities and colleges, and a recent meeting of the Minister with UR principals was in that vein.”
For the first time after being put on hold in 2020 owing to the covid-19 outbreak, the 2023 Rwanda National Volleyball League Serie B tipped off in February after a three-year hiatus. In this season, the 14 men’s teams had been split into two groups and the top four from each group advanced to playoffs
Following a two-day contest, the rankings are as follows:
- GS St Joseph Kabgayi
- Nyanza TSS
- Petit Seminaire Virgo Fidelis
- Collège du Christ-Roi Nyanza
- UR Nyarugenge
- UR CAVM
- Groupe Scolaire Officiel de Butare
- Gisagara Academy
The GS St Joseph silverware hunt continues, with the Rutsindura Memorial and FEASSSA competitions still to come. Rutsindura is slated for next weekend in Huye, while FEASSSA will be held in the same district in August.
