Team Rivers, Education Share Volleyball Honours

It was a mixed bag of emotions for Team Rivers volleyball contingent in one of the last events of the Federal Public Service Games, yesterday in Port Harcourt.

The male and female teams had sailed to the finals of their events with relative ease, the women brushing aside every opponent in straight sets, while the men only got tested in their quarter final match, where they prevailed over their Trade and Investment counterparts, two sets to one.

Both Rivers teams set up a final showdown for the gold medal match with the Ministry of Education teams.

Being the hosts and slight pre match favourites, most spectators on hand to watch the exchange of fireworks as the games unfolded were sort of subdued after Rivers women took the gold in a relative one-sided straight sets, 2-0 and their male counterparts lost theirs in similar fashion to the Ministry of Education team. They initially flattered to deceive in a closely contested first set, conspiring to throw away a 14-13 lead to eventually capitulate 14-15.

The largely anticipated fight back from Team Rivers in the second set failed to materialism as the opponents ran away 25-8 to close out the contest and claim gold.

A day earlier, Team Rivers, led by evergreen Obia Inyegiyikabo had shown a measure of dominance in the pool, securing an impressive haul of medals in the events they were restricted to.

Inyegiyikabo easily dominated in the women’s 100m freestyle, 50 and 100 metres backstroke to show that she still possess the ability to do the state proud despite the passage of time.