Rwanda’s hopes of reaching the African women’s volleyball championship final for the first time ended Thursday after Egypt beat the team 3-0 in the semi-finals in Nairobi.
Egypt took control from the start at Kasarani Indoor Arena, winning the opening set 25-5 as Rwanda struggled to match the defending side’s intensity.
Rwanda responded with a stronger performance in the second set, but Egypt maintained its advantage to win 25-17 and move within one set of the final.
The third set produced Rwanda’s best display of the match.
The Rwandan side stayed with Egypt throughout a tense battle, forcing the set beyond the usual 25-point mark before Egypt eventually won 32-30 to complete the straight-set victory.
Egypt will play in Saturday’s final, while Rwanda will face the loser between Cameroon and hosts Kenya for the bronze medal.
The result also repeated Rwanda’s semi-final outcome from 2023, when Egypt again ended its title hopes with a 3-0 victory.
Rwanda’s best finish at the African championship remains fourth place, achieved in 2023.
The team had entered this year’s tournament after an impressive group-stage campaign, finishing top of Group D ahead of Algeria, Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi.
Rwanda opened the competition with a 3-0 win over Algeria, followed by another 3-0 victory against Burundi before completing its group campaign with a third straight-set win over DR Congo.
It then defeated Burkina Faso in the round of 16 to reach the quarter-finals, where it beat Ghana 3-1.
Rwanda won the opening set against Ghana 25-17, but Ghana fought back to take the second 26-24. Rwanda regained control with a 25-19 win in the third set before closing out the match 25-18.
The semi-final defeat means Rwanda will now have to settle for a fight for third place as it seeks to improve on its fourth-place finish from three years ago.
Rwanda has made four appearances at the African championship. It finished 10th in 2007 and ninth in 2011, while it was eliminated from the tournament when it hosted the competition in 2021.
