The Ghana U-19 men’s volleyball team put up a stellar performance to claim silver at the just-ended 2024 men’s U-19 Nations Volleyball Championship, which took place in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
The young and gallant Ghana U-19 volleyball team lost to Sierra Leone in the grand finale in two straight. They lost by a score of 21-13 in the first set and 21-11 in the second, as they could only manage to finish second and ensure qualification for the 2024 Volleyball World Championship in China.
The Ghana team led by their experienced head coach Seidu Ajanako, started their campaign with a win over DR Congo in 3 sets but managed qualification to the quarterfinals despite falling to Namibia 21-13, 21-18 in game two.
Ghana will avenge their group-stage defeat to Namibia in the quarterfinals, beating their counterparts in straight sets (22-20, 25-23) to advance to the semis. They’ll defeat DR Congo once again in the semi-finals in straight sets (22-20, 21-18) to book a place in the finals.
The inexperienced Ghanaians were dealt a big blow after succumbing to a straight set (21-13, 21-11) defeat to Sierra Leone in the finals in what could be described as a one-sided contest.
Despite failing to lay their hands on the ultimate title, the Ghana team which had some eye-catching talents like Emmanuel Abbey (blocker) and Ebenezer Anyetei (Defender), left the tournament with a lot of pride and promise after showing character in their 1/8 fixture against Namibia. A very resolute side that beat Ghana in the pool play.
The Ghanaian team was accompanied by Mr. George Tettey, President of the Ghana Volleyball Association, and Mr. Mohammed Aputeog (Executive Board Member). Other senior players who joined the team for the tournament include Kelvin Carboo, Phillip Amissah and Emmanuel Adamitey.
Speaking profoundly about the achievement of the Ghana U-19 men’s volleyball team, Executive Board Member Mohammed Aputeog said, “We could’ve won gold, but for their inexperience. It’s their first time competing on the national level.”
Mr. Aputeog, speaking on the team’s preparations for the upcoming World Championship in China, added, “Of course, we are looking for funding and support to prepare for the upcoming championship. We would potentially start training after a week of rest to correct our errors and condition the boys for the task ahead.”.
The Ghana U-19 men’s volleyball team showed great promise and could’ve won gold but for unforced errors in the final, we will be hoping to go a step further at the upcoming 2024 World U-19 Volleyball Championships.
The team has expressed a great desire to go all out and make Ghana proud but will be hoping to receive support from corporate bodies as they prepare for the Mondial in China later this year.