Nigeria’s U-18 beach volleyball girls reach African Cup semifinals

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By Maxwell Kumoye 
 
 

Nigeria’s women’s beach volleyball team have booked their place in the semifinals of the 2026 African U-18 Beach Volleyball Development Cup in Senegal after maintaining their unbeaten run in the group stage.

The Nigerian girls produced another impressive display on Wednesday defeating Mozambique 2-0 (21-15, 21-17) to seal their place in the last four.

Coach of the Nigerian women’s team, John Iwerima, praised his players for their tactical discipline and composed performance against the Mozambicans.

The former international said the young players have shown remarkable tactical maturity despite their age, insisting that their performance in Senegal is only the beginning of their development.

“The girls have demonstrated a high level of tactical play. This is just the beginning for them, and I believe they will continue to improve as the tournament progresses,” Iwerima said.

Iwerima explained that Nigeria’s primary objective at the Development Cup is to expose the players to international competition and equip them with the experience required to handle bigger challenges in the future.

“Our main goal is to expose these players and prepare them for the major tasks ahead. This tournament is an important platform for their development and experience,” he added.

However, the coach believes the team’s developmental mission could be crowned with a major achievement if Nigeria goes all the way to win the competition.

According to him, lifting the trophy would not only boost the confidence and profile of the young players but also represent another significant milestone for the Nigeria Volleyball Federation.

“Winning the tournament will be an addition to the profile of not only the players but also the Federation,” Iwerima stated.

With their semifinal ticket secured, Nigeria will now turn their attention to the knockout stage as they aim to extend their impressive run and compete for the championship title in Senegal.

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