By Andrew Abah
Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, on Thursday, officially declared open the 2025 African Women’s Volleyball Inter-Club Championship in Abuja,
The competition, which will run until Sunday, April 14, is held at the Indoor Hall Package B of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium.
Teams from Botswana, Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire, and Benin Republic are making their debut and competing for honours with established countries from Egypt, Tunisia, and Kenya.
The Customs Service Women Volleyball Club is flying Nigeria’s flag at the tournament and will be aiming to win the tournament, which started in 1986, for the first time.
The First Lady charged all the participating teams to contest under an atmosphere of love and display the spirit of sportsmanship throughout the competition.
In one of the earlier games played before the opening ceremony, APR of Rwanda stunned Tunisia’s CFC, winning 3-1 with set scores of 18-25, 26-24, 25-23, and 25-23.
The match commenced with CFC taking control, showcasing powerful hitting to clinch the first set 25-18. However, APR demonstrated resilience, battling back in the second set to overcome an initial deficit and narrowly claim a 26-24 win.
APR held firm in the third set, displaying strong blocking and versatility, preventing CFC from establishing momentum and winning 25-23.
The fourth set saw APR rally fiercely, dominating the play and forcing CFC into substitutions and time-outs. Although CFC closed the gap to 23-22, APR summoned fresh energy, ultimately sealing the match with a 25-23 victory.