APR VC lost 3-0 (25-18, 25-18, 29-27) to Petrojet in their final Group A match played on Monday evening at BK Arena, missing the chance to finish the group stage unbeaten.
The army side found it difficult to break down the Egyptian club, which dominated the opening two sets with identical 25-18 wins. Head coach Sammy Mulinge made tactical adjustments, introducing players including Niyonshima Samuel and resting James Achuil, but APR could not turn the match around. They pushed hard in the third set and came close to forcing a fourth, but eventually fell 29-27.
Despite the loss, APR VC progressed to the knockout stage as third in Group A, behind Uganda’s Nemo Stars and Petrojet Sports Club. Nemo Stars secured top spot after defeating Cameroon’s Litto Team 3-0 (25-21, 25-16, 25-12).
In Group B, Egypt’s Al Ahly finished the preliminary round unbeaten after defeating AS INJS of Côte d’Ivoire 3-0 (25-13, 25-15, 25-17).
Rwanda’s Kepler VC also impressed, claiming their fourth victory of the tournament with a 3-1 win over Kenya’s Equity Bank (25-19, 20-25, 25-23, 25-18).
Police VC also maintained a perfect record in Group C, edging Kenya Ports Authority in a five-set thriller to close the group stage unbeaten. The Rwandan side won 25-20, 20-25, 25-19, 21-25, 15-12.
Elsewhere in the same group, Ethiopia’s Wolaitta Dicha Sports Club defeated Tanzania’s Prisons VC 3-0 (25-22, 25-22, 25-22), while Morocco’s Faith Union beat Ghana Army 3-2 (24-26, 25-14, 18-25, 25-23, 15-13).
In Group D, REG VC delivered a dominant 3-0 victory over Ghana’s Kabili Sporting, winning 25-19, 25-21, 25-23.
Cameroon’s Port Autonome de Douala also secured a straight-sets win over Kenya’s General Service Unit, taking the match 25-14, 25-22, 25-20.
Teams qualified for the Round of 16
- Group A: Nemo Stars, Petrojet, APR VC, Nigeria Customs
- Group B: Al Ahly SC, Kepler VC, Sport-S VC, Equity Bank
- Group C: Police VC, Faith Union, Ghana Army, Kenya Ports Authority
- Group D: Port Autonome de Douala, General Service Unit, REG VC, Kabili Sporting
Round of 16 fixtures
REG VC will face Uganda’s Sport-S VC on Wednesday at 10:00 a.m., while Police VC will take on Nigeria Customs at 2:00 p.m. at BK Arena.
Kepler VC will play Kenya’s General Service Unit at 4:00 p.m., while APR VC will face Morocco’s Faith Union at 8:00 p.m.
Full Wednesday fixtures
- Nemo Stars vs Kenya Ports Authority
- REG VC vs Sport-S VC
- Police VC vs Nigeria Customs
- Kepler VC vs General Service Unit
- Port Autonome de Douala vs Equity Bank
- Petrojet SC vs Ghana Army
- Al Ahly vs Kabili Sporting
- Faith Union vs APR VC
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