10 Feb 2016

Botswana Women Volleyball team coach has expressed confidence in his team to perform well on the upcoming Rio 2016 Olympic qualifiers in Cameroon.

The team jetted off to Cameroon on Tuesday evening. The ladies team will play against the host nation Cameroon, Tunisia, Egypt Kenya, Algeria, and Morocco for a single spot for the Rio Olympics. The team has its stars like captain Tebogo Sejewe, Tracy Chaba, Chada Majaga and Thapelo Kamperuka.

When speaking to BOPA, Coach Kabo Ntshinogang said preparations have been running smoothly since they started training.

“Our camp commenced on January 6, moreover the team just came back from the zone 6 just before Christmas in Swaziland which plays to our advantage,” he said.

Ntshinogang explained that though he joined the camp a bit late due to work commitment, the morale was high in the camp.

He noted the ladies physic was improving, explaining that he had engaged earlier with the technical team who were training the team in his absence and advised them to concentrate on their physical aspect.
He said the decision was informed by the fact that the players were just from the festive season.

Ntshinogang explained that upon joining the camp, he then applied the tactical and technical work of the game. He said for the players who did not adapt or show any improvement, they were forced to let them go and trim the squad. Initially, he said they carried about 18 players, but at the end went down to the allowed number of 14 players.

However, he said despite all that, they managed to overcome most of their challenges. He said he had the privilege of serving as the assistant coach during Congo 2015 games.

Ntshinogang said some players lacked composure with their defensive attributes; hence they had to put more effort in advancing on that field, stating that the ladies have since responded positively. He further said he is expecting his side to put up a fight against their opponents, stating that they are aware of their opponents’ strengths and weakness.

“Pound for pound on the net, thus spiking, jumping and blocking we are at par with most of these teams. The only problem with us is picking the ball when it has passed through the block,” he explained.

Ntshinogang said they have managed to work on the weakness. He said with that, the team now has shown great improvement, now that they can serve better and defends much better than before.

He also defined his team very sound, explaining the team has long been together and has played against the teams they are going to face countless times.

He said only three changes have been made in the team which made their job easy, because they know most of their opponents and have been helpful during training.

For his part, acting permanent secretary in the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Culture, Kago Ramokate applauded the ladies for the success over the years. Ends