It wasn’t just the six players on the court that Nemostars had to contend with on Saturday; it was an entire loud and active BK Arena.
Following a hard-fought 3-0 defeat to APR, Nemostars Head Coach Godfrey Okumu pointed to the deafening home atmosphere and specific environmental challenges as the turning points in an otherwise competitive encounter.
The 3-0 scoreline (25-20, 25-23, 27-25) tells the story of a Nemostars side that grew into the game but ultimately couldn’t silence a partisan crowd or overcome a clinical APR performance.
Coach Okumu was gracious in defeat, acknowledging that APR’s hunger and tactical execution, particularly from their setter, were superior on the day.
However, he highlighted the difficulties his team faced in communicating amidst the cacophony of the Kigali crowd and the arena’s sound system.
“They (APR) gave their best. They wanted the win more than we did,” Okumu admitted. “We started a bit slow. It was very noisy and I had to tell the referee that the music should slow down so that we could listen to each other, but we were denied the chance.”
The coach noted that while the home side fed off the energy, his squad struggled to adapt to the external pressure. “I think we were affected by the home crowd while the opponent greatly benefited from the same atmosphere.”
Despite the frustrating result, Nemostars’ first defeat following dominant performances against Egypt’s Petrojet and Nigeria Customs, Okumu views the experience as a vital litmus test for his players.
“But we take the lessons and move on,” Okumu said defiantly. “I hope we can put up a better show in front of such numbers. It’s not the end of the world; we have room to improve, and so we shall pick it from there and work on our errors.”
With a 2-1 record in a group where four out of six teams advance, Nemostars remain in a strong position to qualify for the knockout stages.
The focus now shifts to their remaining group fixtures, where the Ugandan side looks to iron out the jitters mentioned by both the coach and setter Smith Okumu.
As the tournament progresses, the Nemostars camp remains confident that if they can handle the heat of a home crowd, they can handle anyone in the bracket.
