Egypt's Ahly claimed their third victory on Day 3 of the tournament
Sousse, Tunisia, March 9, 2014 - Egypt giants Ahly, organizers Etoile Sportive du Sahel and newcomers Ittihad Tangier claimed third victories without dropping a set on Day 3 of the 2015 African Men's Club Championship. The winner of the 2015 African Men’s Club Championship, which takes place from March 5-17, will also earn a berth at the FIVB Volleyball Men's Club World Championship.
Ahly claimed a third straight-sets win over less experienced Espoir of RD Congo 3-0 (25-13, 25-11, 25-21), in Pool C, while Etoile du Sahel ESS defeated Atletico of Cape Verde 3-0 (25-10, 25-12, 25-16) in Pool A.
Newcomers Tangier Ittihad Tangier of Morocco flew past Mozambique's Autoridade 3-0 (27-25, 25-11, 25-12), also in Pool A.
Zamalek and Somoha (Egypt), Setif and Bourj Bouaririj (Algeria) also moved to 3-0 win-loss ratios.
Tuesday will be a rest day before twelve matches are played on Wednesday on competition Day 4, which is likely to confirm most of the quarterfinal berths.
Pool A ESS (Tunisia) v Atletico (Cape Verde) 3-0 (25-10, 25-12, 25-16)
Ittihad Tangier (Morocco) v Autoridade (Mozambique) 3-0 (27-25, 25-11, 25-12)
Douanes (Burkina Faso) v Daim Hamad (Sudan) 3-0 (25-20, 25-16, 25-18)
ESS (Tunisia) claimed a third competition victory in a row over Atletico of Cape Verde 3-0 (25-10, 25-12, 25-16) to strengthen their claim to a quarterfinal ticket in Pool A. The winners' coach Harry Brokking used his entire team during th 54 minutes of the match, and none of his players scored more than seven points. The organisers improved their win-loss ratio to 3-0, while Atletico dropped to 0-3.
Ittihad Tangier (Morocco) overcame a sluggish start to defeat Autoridade (Mozambique) 3-0 (27-25, 25-11, 25-12) in Pool A. The up-and-coming team from Mozambique reached two set points in the first set before the Moroccan team called on all their power to win the set by 27-25. Tangier moved to a 3-0 win-loss record, while Autoridade dropped to 1-2.
Douanes of Burkina Faso fought bravely to beat Daim Hamad of Sudan 3-0 (25-20, 25-16, 25-18) and claim their second victory, remaining in contention for a quarterfinal ticket as they improved to 2-1, while the Sudanese team dropped to 0-3.
Pool BZamalek (EGY) v Swehli (Libya) 3-0 (25-21, 25-20, 26-24)
Esperance (Tunisia) v FAP (Cameroon) 3-1 (25-19, 25-14, 30-32, 25-16)
FAR (Morocco) v Alnahda (Sudan) 3-1 (25-18, 25-16, 23-25, 25-23
Esperance of Tunisia continued their recovery from their opening match defeat to stun FAP of Cameroon 3-1 (25-19, 25-14, 30-32, 25-16) in one of the day's best shows. The defending champions were moving towards a straight-sets victory, but FAP showed their best to win the third set in a 32-30 marathon. Esperance won the fourth set and the match 3-1. They improved to 2-1, while FAP dropped to 1-2.
Heavy Favourites Zamalek (EGY) won the crucial points of each set to overpower Swehli of Libya 3-0 (25-21, 25-20, 26-24) in 71 minutes. The match reached a climax at the end of the third set, when the Libyans reached a set point, before Zamalek turned things around to win it narrowly 26-24. Zamalek's Argentine middle blocker Martin Costa played a big role with his blocking, aided by emerging opposite Reda Heikal, who was the top match scorer with 17 points. Zamalek are on 3-0, while Swehli dropped to 1-2.
FAR of Morocco defeated Alnahda of Sudan 3-1 (25-18, 25-16, 23-25, 25-23). After FAR claimed the first and second sets, Alnahda played their best in the competition to date to win the third set. and The Moroccan team, however, overcame the critical situation to win the set and the match at 3-1. FAR improved to 2-1, while Alnahda dropped to 0-3.
Pool CBourj Bouaririj (Algeria) v GSU Kenya 3-2 (31-33, 21-25, 25-21, 25-11, 15-1)
Ahly (Egypt) v Espoir (CONGO RD) 3-0 (25-13, 25-11, 25-21)
APR (Rwanda) v Nemostars (Uganda) 3-2 (25-19, 25-12, 11-25, 24-26, 15-12)
Bourj Bouaririj of Algeria came back from two sets down to pull off a 3-2 win over GSU Kenya 3-2 (31-33, 21-25, 25-21, 25-11, 15-1) in a grueling tiebreaker lasting 112 minutes. Algerian veteran opposite Mahdi Hachemi played am important role, especially in the fourth set and the tiebreak scoring a vital 19 points. Kenyans Cornelius Kiplagat and Musumba Oundo were the top match scorers with 21 points. Bourj team improved their record to 3-0, while GSU dropped to 1-2.
Ahly of Egypt overwhelmed Espoir 3-0 (25-13, 25-11, 25-21) in a match played aggressively by the losers, as they tried their best to stop the taller Egyptian players at the net. The Congolese team played their best in the third set when they improved their reception and blocking. Ahly lead the pool with 3-0 record and stayed ahead without dropping a set, while Espoir are on a 1-2 win-loss record. Opposite Ahmed Kotb and middle blocker Abdel Halim were the key players of the victory.
APR (Rwanda) beat Nemostars (Uganda) 3-2 (25-19, 25-12, 11-25, 24-26, 15-12) in an epic Pool C encounter lasting over two hours. APR won the first two sets quickly, but the Ugandan team came back to win two consecutive sets. The Rwandan team, however, reorganised their blockers to win the tiebreak 15-12 and secure their first victory.
Pool DAhly Beni Ghazi (Libya) v Support United (Zimbabwe) 3-0 (25-14, 25-22, 25-16)
Somoha (EGY) v Prisons (Kenya) 3-1 (25-14, 21-25, 25-19, 25-21)
Setif (Algeria) v KAVC (Uganda) 3-0 (25-12, 25-20, 25-16)
Setif of Algeria defeated KAVC of Uganda 3-0 (25-12, 25-20, 25-16) in a pool D match that showed the dominance of the Algerian team, especially in the areas of blocking and attack. Setif improved their win-loss ratio to 3-0 as KAVC dropped to 0-3.
Ahly Beni Ghazi (Libya) continued their winning run as they beat Support United (Zimbabwe) 3-0 (25-14, 25-22, 25-16), showing their consistency over the three sets. The Libyans improved to 2-1, while Support are on 0-3.
Somoha of Egypt beat Prisons of Kenya 3-1 (25-14, 21-25, 25-19, 25-21) in the best of the Pool D matches. The Egyptian team relied on center block Mohamed Adel and on setter Khalid Elfayoumi to overcome Prisons' attacks. Somoha are now up to 3-0 and Prisons are on 1-2.