Olivier Ntagengwa and Venuste Gatsinzi, together with Valentine Munezero and her partner Benitha Mukandayisenga, claimed the gold medals in the 2024-25 First Rwanda Beach Volleyball National Tour on Sunday, November 3, at the King Fisher Resort-Muhazi.
The Rwanda Volleyball National League briefly paused after the second round to shift from indoor play to beach volleyball, according to the calendar set by the local governing body, FRVB.
The first weekend of November kicked off the Rwanda Beach Volleyball National Tour, with players trading their shoes for sand to compete, and King Fisher Resort was the central hub for the first round of the 2024-25 season.
Following the pool games held on Friday and Saturday, the quarterfinals were set up as follows:
Men’s Quarter-Finals:
- Gatsinzi/Ntagengwa vs. Shema/Munezero
- Kavalo/Gloire vs. Koita/Matheus
- Mandela/Levis vs. Gisubizo/Sam
- Paul/Prince vs. Vincent/Rwahama
Women’s Quarter-Finals:
- Amito/Lizzy vs. Teta/Sandra
- Aline/Solange vs. Nirere/Fanny
- Mpeti Lolo/Ukpabi vs. Tuyishime/Alba
- Diane/Penelope vs. Benitha/Valentine
Immediately in the women’s category, the competitors vied for places in the semifinals. Amito/Lizzy advanced to face Nirere/Yankurije, while Ukpabi/Mpeti set up a semifinal clash against Benitha/Valentine.
Gatsinzi/Ntagengwa, Kavalo/Gloire, Mandela/Levis, and Paul/Prince advanced to the men’s semifinals.
The pair of Olivier Ntagengwa and Venuste Gatsinzi defeated Kavalo Patrick Akumuntu and Gloire Niyonkuru in a two-set semifinal match, while Paul Akan and Prince Rwahama easily overcame Mandela and Levis.
Olivier Ntagengwa and Venuste Gatsinzi won the Rwanda Beach Volleyball National Tour Round 1, following a convincing 2-0 victory over APR’s Prince Kanamugire and Paul Akan.
Ntagengwa and Gatsinzi are both regular members of the national team and currently hold the highest ranking in the country, with a total of 1,024 points.
They have been playing together for some time, holding the 5th position on the continent and ranking 145th in the FIVB Men’s Beach Volleyball World ranking, as released on October 28, 2024.
Valentine Munezero and Benitha Mukandayisenga defeated the Police WVC duo of Ariane Nirere and Francoise Yankurije 2-0 to claim the women’s gold medals in this first tour.
As Rwanda’s top pair, Munezero and Mukandayisenga represent the country in various international tournaments. They currently hold the 113th position in the world and third in Africa, with a total of 1,296 points in the latest FIVB Women’s Beach Volleyball World Ranking.
Levis and his partner Mandera secured third place in the men’s category, while Ukupabi, who teamed up with Mpeti Lolo Irene, claimed third place in the women’s category.
A total of 44 players, competing in both men’s and women’s categories, participated in the first round of the tournament at King Fisher on Lake Muhazi.
Fourteen pairs in the men’s category and eight pairs in the women’s category participated in this three-day competition, which wrapped up on Sunday, October 3.
The Rwanda Beach Volleyball National Tour featured national teams that participated to refresh their pairs. It also offered a chance to earn points, as it is sanctioned by the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB).
The second round is scheduled for January 3-5, 2025, at Karongi, while the third and final round will be held in Rubavu along the shores of Lake Kivu, as outlined in the FRVB yearly calendar.
On the horizon, volleyball will shift back to indoor competition for the taxpayer appreciation tournament.
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Image credits: derio_images
