GSU, KPA crash out as Kenya's hopes end at CAVB Men’s Club Championships

Part of the action as KPA lost to FUS Rabat in Libya (C) CAVB Media

By Michael Kirwa
Saturday, April 26, 2025

Kenya’s hopes of reaching the quarter-finals at the 2025 CAVB Men’s Volleyball Club Championships ended on Saturday after GSU and KPA were both knocked out in the Round of 16 in Libya.

Kenya will have no representation in the quarter-finals of the 2025 CAVB Men's Volleyball Club Championships after General Service Unit (GSU) and Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) were eliminated in the Round of 16 earlier today at the tournament hosted in Libya.

GSU, who had finished second in Group B after collecting 10 points from four victories and one defeat, were the first to bow out following a straight-sets loss to Rwanda’s APR, who had finished third in Group D with eight points from three wins and two losses.

Excluding their walkover win against Genie Republique of DR Congo, GSU had been starting their matches in the tournament with a first-set loss - and Saturday was no different as APR claimed the opening set 27-25 after a nail-biting contest.

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In three of their previous four matches, GSU had shown remarkable spirit to bounce back from first-set losses, but APR did not allow a turnaround this time, sealing the win with 25-21 and 25-19 victories in the second and third sets respectively.

The defeat condemned GSU to contest the 9th–16th place classification matches alongside KPA, who also fell in the Round of 16 after losing to Morocco’s FUS Rabat in a five-set thriller.

KPA, who had finished second in Group D with nine points from three wins and two defeats, took the first set 25-21, but saw victory slip away after dropping the second and third sets 25-23 each.

Although they recovered to win the fourth set 25-18, they could not sustain the momentum in the decider, losing 15-9 to FUS Rabat.

The exits of GSU and KPA underline the gap that Kenyan men’s volleyball teams still need to bridge to match the continent’s top clubs, particularly North African sides who have historically dominated the tournament.

Kenya Prisons remain the only Kenyan team to have reached the final, achieving the feat in 2011 when they finished runners-up to Al Ahly after a 3-0 defeat.

Prisons also reached the semi-finals in 2013 and again in 2024, standing as Kenya’s only semi-finalists in the last 15 years.

Prisons featured in this year’s competition but failed to advance to the knockout stages after finishing fifth in Group C with five points from one win and four defeats.

As a result, they were relegated to the classification play-offs for 17th–23rd place, beginning their campaign with a 3-2 win over Genie Republique, who finished bottom of Group B without a point.

Genie Republique, eager for redemption, stunned Prisons by taking the first set 25-19.

However, Prisons recovered to win the second and third sets 25-21 and 26-24 respectively, before Genie Republique forced a decider by clinching the fourth set 25-23.

Prisons eventually sealed victory by winning the fifth set 15-10.

The competition continues on Sunday, with the Kenyan teams set to discover their next opponents after the conclusion of Saturday's fixtures.