Kenya Pipeline volleyball team on Sunday, April 26, had a taste of defeat at the African Club Championship - after going down 3-2 to Custom Services of Nigeria.
Despite putting up an outstanding performance on the first set that ended 25-20 in favour of Kenya Pipeline, the oil merchants lost both the second and third sets 18-25 and 20-25 respectively before bouncing back 26-24 in the fourth set, but lost 11-15 in the final set making it 3-2 at the final whistle in favour of the Nigerians.
Pipeline had a smooth run in their tournament openers as they bagged wins in their three matches, stopping ASEC Mimosa of Ivory Coast in three straight sets of 25-11, 25-11, 25-11. They edged out Ethiopia's National Alcohol 25-15, 25-17 and 25-7 before beating Senegalese side AS Douane 3-0.
The day got worse for the Kenyan girls in Tunisia as they lost their key middle blocker Triza Atuka to injury after she twisted her left knee while in action against the Nigerian side.
The middle blocker has had a disappointing season as she became prone to injuries that hindered her from getting a spot on the national team Malkia Strikers.
The oil merchants are expected to face Tunisia's Carthage on Monday, April 26, at the Aissa Ben Nasr Hall in Kelibia, in their last fixture of the pool. They will also need to finish in the top two positions of the group table if they are to book a spot in the semi-finals.