Nigeria defeated Cameroon 3-1 (27-25, 23-25, 26-24, 25-19) in the semi-final played at the package B of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium on Wednesday.
Head coach of Nigeria U-17 girls, Sunday Akapson, said his side would not be carried away with the victory against Cameroon.
The 2003 African Games silver medalists revealed that the players played according to the instructions of the technical crew.
He said, “I am very excited and very fulfilled, but we are not there yet. I do not want to get carried away with the excitement and forget the target tomorrow (Thursday) because we need to finish the race.
“One of the best things we did during the match against Cameroon was boosting the morale of the players. When we were trailing behind Cameroon in the third set, the young setter was shedding tears but I had to encourage her and we won the third set.
“During the second set, the girls could not withstand the pressure because they are still young but when they got to the bench, the coaches told them they have the ability, capabilities, strength, and the skills to win every other set. I am proud that the young girls went into the game and won the third and fourth set. Motivation is very key and I am happy it worked for my team.”
Captain of the team, Mirabel Onyegwu, was once again named the Most Valuable Player, and the coach praised her for exhibiting her leadership qualities on the court against Cameroon.
Akapson said, “The captain, Mirabel Onyegwu, was on fire in the last two sets against Cameroon. The entire team did very well to win the game for the volleyball community in Nigeria.”
The former captain of the Nigeria Customs Service men’s team vowed to give the Egyptian team a good fight during the final tomorrow (Thursday).
He said, “Ahead of the finals, we lost the group stage to Egypt and we are going to give them a good fight. It is not going to be an easy game for the Egyptians. This is the first time a Nigerian underage team will be doing this and I tell you that we are going to improve in the final.
“This is just the starting point for these girls. They have a promising future because the International Olympic Committee said to prepare any Olympic athletes takes at least ten years; these sets of players are below 17 years.”
