Nigeria’s men’s volleyball team began their campaign at the 2026 African Nations Cup Zone 3 Qualifiers on a winning note after defeating Niger Republic 3-1 on Tuesday to boost their hopes of qualifying from the tournament.
The Nigerians took the opening set 25-22 before Niger Republic fought back to level the contest with a 25-19 win in the second set. Coach Taiwo Oladipupo’s side responded in impressive fashion, edging a closely contested third set 25-23 before dominating the fourth set 25-9 to seal a deserved victory.
Head coach Taiwo Oladipupo praised his players for showing character after surrendering the second set, describing the opening win as an important start to the campaign.
“First of all, I thank Almighty God for giving us our first win of the tournament. I’m very happy with the result. The boys lost the second set, but they responded brilliantly by winning the third and fourth sets,” Oladipupo said.
The coach admitted there were still areas to improve but expressed confidence that the team would correct its mistakes before the next fixture.
“We will go back and work on the areas where we made mistakes. This is a game of perseverance, and we know exactly what happened. We will correct those errors and come back stronger,” he added.
Nigeria now turns its attention to a crucial clash against host nation Côte d’Ivoire on Wednesday, with Oladipupo insisting his side will approach the encounter with the same determination.
“Whether they are the hosts or not, our approach remains the same. We are going all out to play whoever comes our way. Our objective is simple, to secure the three points and move on, and that’s exactly what we will be aiming for.”
The victory provides Nigeria with early momentum in the Zone 3 qualifiers as the team continues its push for a place at the 2026 African Nations Cup.
By Arinzechi Chukwunonso
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