April 15, 2016 By Sahr Morris Jr.
The Sierra Leone national female beach volleyball teams got-off to flying starts in the final round of the Women’s Beach Volleyball Rio 2016 Olympics qualifiers with victory over Gambia and Ghana at Jabi Lake in Abuja, Nigeria.
Despite the change in fixture and grouping which saw Sierra Leone moved from Pool B to Pool A, the Sierra Leonean quartet were quick to adapt to the changes.
In Thursday’s opener, Sierra Leone team two, which comprises the duo of Captain Francess Lansana and Zainab Kamara defeated The Gambia team one by 2 sets to 1 – 21-18, 10-21, and 15-12. Lansana and Kamara also brilliantly beat Ghana team two in two straight wins, 21-11, 21-12.
It was a different story for the Sierra Leone team one pair of Binta Bah and Aminata Turay, as they lost two straight sets to The Gambia team two: 22-24, 19-21. The result of the said match took the contest to a golden match that ended 2-1 in favour of Sierra Leone.
Host nation, Nigeria remains the target for Sierra Leone in Pool A as both nations will battle in Friday’s encounter, with the African champions, Nigeria, described as the favourites. Sierra Leone will also face Mauritius in the second match of the day.
Meanwhile, Sierra Leonean coach Sorie Kamara is understandably uncomfortable playing against the host team in today’s (Friday) encounter. He said: “It’s hard to play against a home team, but I am hopeful for a stunning result.”
In other Pool A matches, Mauritius defeated Ghana in a golden match, while Nigeria, who are current African champions, won all two matches against Mauritius and Ghana.