Mutinda shows her form on return as KCB Bank open Kenya Cup trophy account, GSU disarm KDF
Malkia Strikers setter Esther Mutinda showed she was ready to fight for a place in the national team to the World Championships if her show at the Kenya Cup on Sunday at Kasarani is anything to go by.
Mutinda, who had been away from her KCB Bank team for some time showed what they had been missing as she led them to victory in the Kenya Cup final against arch rivals Kenya Pipeline.
Coach Japheth Munala was full of praise for her returning setter and said were it not for her they would not have won the Kenya Cup crown.
The straight sets victory by KCB Bank against Kenya Pipeline was sweet revenge for the bankers against the team that beat them in the semi-finals of the Kenya Volleyball Federation league play-offs.
Mutinda also led her team from the dead on Saturday as they came from two sets down to beat Kenya Prisons 3-2 and set up the final meeting against Kenya Pipeline on Sunday.
The former Kwanthanze School setter was however not named in the provisional Malkia Strikers squad picked by new head coach Geoffrey Omondi in June.
Her form in the Kenya Cup tournament will however give her hope considering many senior players were not picked for the global event that serves off on August 22 in Thailand.
Meanwhile, national men league champions General Service Unit (GSU) showed their league win was not a fluke after adding the Kenya Cup trophy to the league title they won at Kasarani last month.
The servicemen were however forced to dig deep against Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) in the final on Sunday after the soldiers took a two-set lead and even had two match points in the third set before the champions showed their power of recovery to win the set 26-24.
After winning the third set, there was no looking back for GSU with Nicholas Matui and Simion Kipkorir dominating the soldiers throughout set four and five and ensuring the servicemen won the first edition of the Kenya Cup.
GSU were also able to dominate most of the Kenya Cup individual awards with Matui voted as the best outside hitter while Kipkorir was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP).
GSU’s Brian Melly won the best setter award while teammate Hudson Kipchumba was voted the best libero.
KDF got some consolation after the disappointing loss in the final as two of its players won individual awards. Johnstone Sirengo was named the best middle blocker while Colins Muya was the best opposite attacker.
In the women awards, KCB’s Terry Tata was the MVP with her teammates dominating the awards. Mutinda got the best setter award while her teammate Juliana Namutira was the best outside hitter with another KCB player Belinda Barasa named best middle blocker.
Kenya Pipeline got the consolation of Pamela Adhiambo winning the best opposite hitter award.