Survival on the line in MTC VNL final round

Despite the MTC Volleyball National League (VNL) having reached its peak, both the men’s and women’s sections remain wide open in the battles for the championship and relegation.The seventh round served up a nine-game thriller last weekend at Danie Joubert Combined School Courts, with upsets but no change in league-leading status, while the bottom two teams continued their fight to avoid relegation.Having served off in March in Windhoek, the league will come full circle when it hosts its final eighth round on 25 October at the MTC Dome in Swakopmund. Here, champions will be crowned and the bottom two teams in each section relegated to the lower association leagues.NCS and Raptors battle for men’s titleIn the men’s section, log leaders and defending champions Namibian Correctional Service (NCS) have enjoyed a strong run and remain undefeated. Despite not featuring in the latest round, they are still log leaders on 35 points.Second-placed Namibian Defence Force (NDF) Raptors closed the gap to within five points (30) after wins over Keetmanshoop Correctional Facility (3-1) and Mighty Gunners (3-1).Both teams have two matches left and Raptors must win them all to have any chance at the title.Men’s relegation fightLocked in the relegation zone on eight points each are Mighty Gunners (seventh) and Calvary Eagles (eighth). Gunners edge ahead with three wins compared to Eagles’ two.Gunners had a chance to move clear with two matches last weekend, but failed to pick up points against Raptors and Afrocat C (3-1). They now have just one match left in the final round.Calvary Eagles, who did not feature last weekend, still have two games in hand. Both bottom teams can escape relegation if they win their remaining matches, with sixth-placed Keetmanshoop (11 points) within reach.Other results in the men’s section saw Keetmanshoop beat Nampol 3-1, before Nampol bounced back with a 3-0 win over Afrocat C.Revivals and Phoenixes chase women’s crownThe women’s section is equally competitive and mirrors the men’s title race. Defending champions Revivals remain unbeaten on 32 points with three games in hand.They underlined their dominance with a 3-0 victory over second-placed NDF Phoenixes, whose only success came in a 3-0 win against Kudos. Phoenixes now sit on 26 points with two games in hand and must win both to keep their title hopes alive.Women’s relegation battleNampol Otjozondjupa sit seventh with five points and three games in hand, while Ball Busters are eighth with four points and two matches to play.Sixth-placed Six Stars (nine points with two matches to play) are not safe, as wins for relegation-zone teams could drag them into danger.Other results saw University of Namibia (Unam) Queens take two points from a 3-2 win over Nampol Otjozondjupa, who earned one in defeat, while Nampol also secured a narrow 3-2 victory over Kudos.‘Thank you, SVA’Reflecting on the league’s penultimate round, coordinator Albert Khevare praised the Southern Volleyball Association (SVA) for their “hands-on” support with the venue and logistics.“We witnessed heavy rainfall in the south last weekend, which hindered our setting up of the outside courts, but SVA really came through and made sure the games started exactly at 09:00 as stipulated,” he said.Khevare noted that the only game not completed was between Revivals and Nampol Otjozondjupa, which could not be played due to poor visibility.He confirmed it will be the first fixture in round eight at the coast. A win for Revivals there would seal the women’s title early.– mariud@nsh.com.na

Survival on the line in MTC VNL final round

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Republikein 2026-03-10

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Survival on the line in MTC VNL final round

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