The Sunday News
Mehluli Sibanda Senior Sports Reporter
MPOPOMA High School from Bulawayo are in a celebratory mood after their girls Under-20 volleyball team won the National Association of Secondary Heads competition held in Marondera last weekend. The girls’ team captained by power position player Nyaradzo Muzata defied all odds, put up a sparkling show at the national finals where they dropped only one set in five matches on their way to becoming champions.
Coached by school teacher Georgina Chauke, Mpopoma topped their group after identical 2-0 triumphs over Masarakufa and Kanyemba in the preliminary round.
Defending champions Chibi proved to be the most difficult opponent for Mpopoma when the two teams clashed in the quarter-finals. In a best of three sets, it was the defending champions who took the first set.
However, Mpopoma fought hard to claim the next two sets to win the contest 2-1.
In the semi-finals, the Bulawayo side took on Nyashanu of Manicaland and won 2-0 to set up a date with Midlands representatives Mnene in the final, a match they won 3-0.
Chibi settled for fifth place in the 12-team competition.
Mpopoma were handed a brand new cup, after the old one was given to Chibi for winning it for three consecutive years.
To add icing on the cake for the victors, their mentor Chauke was awarded the coach of the tournament prize, Rosemary Ncube who plays power position walked away with the most valuable player award while Polite Ncube was adjudged as the best setter.
Muzata, a sixth form student was elated with bringing a national trophy to Bulawayo which will go a long way in proving that the metropolitan province has gifted sportspersons.
She pointed out that it was not easy to win the tournament and it took a lot of hard work to achieve the feat.
“We are proud to have done something for Bulawayo because people thought the province has no talent. It is my last year of high school so I am happy I left something for my school and Bulawayo. It took a lot of hard work, commitment and unity. It wasn’t easy but we persevered, we would like to thank God for helping us win as well as our parents and families for supporting us all the way,’’ said Muzata.
She described their match against Chibi as the most difficult, as the girls from Masvingo were determined to retain their title. Muzata, a senior prefect who has been part of the Mpopoma volleyball first team from Form One said the contest taught them to be united, work as a team and those ideals were vital to their victory.
Coach Chauke revealed that they had a tough encounter against Masarakufa which drained the players going into the knockout stages. Interestingly, Chauke said they were delighted to reach the final and never thought they were going to win the tournament as Mnene proved to be tough opponents.
Mpopoma who get an automatic chance to defend their title next year had for years qualified to go to the national competition but had never progressed beyond the group stages.
The school also had their boys’ team at the same competition this year but they were knocked out by Mutare Boys High at the quarterfinal stage, finishing seventh overall at an event won by Conway High.
James Rugwevera, the Mpopoma sports director disclosed that it was the first time since he joined the school in 2002 that they had won a national team sports competition.
According to Rugwevera, a road show is being planned where the girls will parade the trophy they won in Marondera. He expressed his gratefulness to the school’s headmaster Christopher Dube for his continued tremendous support to sports at the institution which prides itself more on academic excellence than sporting achievements.
Five of the Mpopoma players have also been included in the Bulawayo team to the National Youth Games in Mutare later on this month. Last year, the same youngsters were part of a representative side from the city that took bronze at the annual games held in Masvingo.
