APR Women Volleyball Club’s 11-year wait for the league title is over as they have certainly secured the 2022/2023 Rwanda Volleyball National League with a round to go. Their unbeaten run keeps going.
NGOMA, January 8, 2023, the seventh phase of the Rwanda Volleyball league was completed at IPRC Ngoma courts. In the women’s category, APR W-VC continued their winning streak through phase 7 and irrevocably secured the championship with a 3-1 set win over Forefront.
Before facing Forefront in the final, the army team had to defeat the archrival Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA) in the semi-finals. The game was regarded as the most anticipated rivalry matchup of the seventh Phase.
In an eye-catching match that lasted 2 hours and 42 minutes, APR defeated RRA 3-2 in a thrilling five-setter, denying their opponents any chance of reaching the final.
The table toppers showed grit and determination to come from behind twice in the fourth set to force a decider. (21-25, 26-24, 23-25, 25-17).
In a deciding set, the score was tight up to the 7th point however RRA couldn’t hold off the spikes of Benitha Mukandayisenga and Seraphine Mukantambara. APR made 4 straight points to put the game out of reach at 11-7. It ended 15-10. The game took place in Ngoma Stadium
Elsewhere at Groupe Scolaire Kabare, in the second semi-final game, Forefront got rid of Ruhango in 3-1 sets.
Around 2 pm at IPRC Ngoma court, the final game between arguably the best teams of the season served off.
Despite being behind in the first set (25-21), coach Florien Siborurema’s advice during a short break boosted team morale and motivated them to take three other sets. (25-22, 25-14, 25-13).
APR WVC dominated not only phase 7 but all phases to win their first league title in 11 years. The army team last won the trophy in the 2011/2012 season.
In addition to league bragging rights, the win also clinched a berth in Carré d’As tourney to conclude a long volleyball season. RRA, Forefront, and Ruhango will definitely take part in the two-day tournament too.
Regardless of Carré d’As outcome, will this season be considered the most successful season in APR history?
With this title, APR Women Volleyball accomplish a truly exciting season with two domestic triumphs (Tax Payers Tourney and National League) and a successfully claimed NSSF KAVC International tournament in Uganda.
There is little doubt that the 2022–2023 season will go down in club history as one of the most successful ones thanks to this accomplishment on a national and international level.
