The bankers were the first Kenyan club to win the trophy since Kenya Prisons in 2013. It was their second title after a 3-2 win over the same opponents in the 2006 final in Mauritius.
African Women’s Volleyball Club champions Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) are out of contention for back-to-back titles after falling to Mouloudia Club d'Alger (MCA) of Algeria in a five-set thriller.
The Japheth Munala-led bankers put up a spirited fight, coming from a set down to take the lead at 2-1 but could not kill off the match in set four and five as they went down 2-3 (22-25, 27-25, 25-20, 16-25, 13-15), thus ending their quest for a title defense.
With the result, the side has been relegated to classification matches with the best possible finish now being a fifth-place ranking.
Last year, the then Sharon Chepchumba-powered bankers, defeated Al Ahly of Egypt 3-1 (25-18,25-22,11-25,28-26) to win the title in the championship hosted in Kelibia, Tunisia.
The bankers were the first Kenyan club to win the trophy since Kenya Prisons in 2013. It was their second title after a 3-2 win over the same opponents in the 2006 final in Mauritius.
It was also sweet revenge for the Kenyan side who lost 3-1 to the Egyptian outfit during the 2009 final in Nairobi.
With KCB’s exit, all hope for retaining the title in the country is squarely on national champions Kenya Pipeline who headed to the competition in good form and have continued to prove themselves as title favorites.