Beach Volleyball: Nigeria wins silver and qualifies for 2023 World Championship

Nigeria's women's volleyball team on Wednesday won a silver medal at the just-concluded 2023 CAVB U21 Beach Volleyball Championship in Morocco.

Host Morocco beat Nigeria 2-1 (13-21, 21-15, 18-16) in an intense game watched by a huge crowd at the Beach Resort in Casablanca.

Nigeria started the first set on a high note, beating Morocco 21-13 points in less than 20 minutes of play.

However, Morocco mobilized their home fans, whose overwhelming roars helped lead them to victory in the second set.

In the third set, Morocco led Nigeria to the 14th point before Nigeria secured two crucial points to tie at 14-14 points apiece.

Nigeria temporarily led with 16-15 points before Morocco salvaged three points to become champions of the women's category.

This result means that the Nigeria women's volleyball team has now qualified for the 2023 World Championship.

Speaking after the match, Nigeria's head coach for the tournament, John Iwerima, praised his players despite their failure to win the title.

Iwerima said: "I am so proud of the girls, for coming to play like we did tonight, not only against the Moroccans but also against the public.

“We had every chance of doing it. Unfortunately, we were unable to do so.

“The chemistry between them is incredible. As long as we have that, we can beat anyone fast. »

Meanwhile, the Nigeria men's beach volleyball team finished fifth in the just-concluded 2023 CAVB U21 Beach Volleyball Championship.

This means that both teams [men and women] have qualified for the FIVB Under-21 Beach Volleyball World Championship 2023 in Thailand in November.