MTC Volleyball League Round 3 delivers thrillers
Round three of the 2026 MTC Volleyball National League delivered excitement and memorable encounters as teams battled it out before a lively crowd at the packed Unam Campus Hall in Katima Mulilo over the weekend.
A total of 18 matches were scheduled across the men’s and women’s divisions, with several fixtures producing thrilling comebacks and significant movement on the standings.
The headline clash came in the men’s division between defending champions Namibia Correctional Service (NCS) and NDF Raptors.
Backed by a vocal crowd, Raptors ended NCS’s unbeaten run in dramatic fashion with a 3-2 victory. NCS appeared to be cruising towards another routine win after taking the opening two sets, but Raptors responded strongly by winning the third and fourth sets 25-21 to force a deciding tie-break.
Raptors held their nerve in the decider, edging NCS 15-13 to hand the defending champions their first league defeat since the inception of the competition.
NDF Raptors captain Sindano Daniel says the victory was a result of persistence and belief despite a slow start.
“We started a bit slow and the tempo was high, but we kept fighting. The coach also made some important changes and that helped us come back into the game,” Daniel says.
“It feels nice. It is a big joy for us and we really enjoyed the moment.”
The victory kept NDF Raptors unbeaten at the top of the men’s standings with 17 points from six matches, while NCS dropped to second place on 16 points.
Hosts Unam Hard Hitters struggled to capitalise on home-ground advantage, suffering back-to-back 3-1 defeats against Calvary Eagles Sports Club (CESC) and Brutal Pack Volleyball Club (BPVC).
The clash between Nampol Volleyball Club (NPV) and Nampower Volleyball Club (NPVC) also produced fireworks, with Nampol completing a remarkable comeback victory.
After falling two sets behind, Nampol fought back strongly to force the match into a tie-break before eventually securing a 3-2 win in one of the weekend’s most entertaining encounters.
Despite their defeat to Raptors, NCS bounced back on Sunday with a straight-sets victory over Afrocat Sports Club.
Although Afrocat lost 3-0, they won the admiration of the crowd after pushing NCS all the way in the opening set before narrowly losing 25-21. Fans loudly chanted “Afrocat” in appreciation of their spirited display.
The result allowed NCS to maintain second place, while Afrocat remain bottom with one point from seven matches.
In the women’s division, defending champions Revivals Volleyball Club (RVC) maintained pressure on unbeaten leaders Nampol Volleyball Club after recording two victories.
RVC were pushed hard by Afrocat Ladies before claiming a 3-1 win, then followed it up with another 3-1 victory over Kudus Sports Club on Sunday.
The wins kept RVC second on the standings with 15 points, three behind Nampol on 18 points.
Blaze Aces and Afrocat Ladies both benefited from Six Stars Volleyball Club’s failure to honour their fixtures, resulting in forfeited 3-0 victories.
Blaze Aces later faced Unam Queens in another thriller after trailing by two sets. Blaze fought back to force a tie-break, but UNAM Queens eventually secured a 3-2 victory.
The result lifted Queens to fourth place on 11 points, while Blaze Aces occupy third spot with 12 points.
The final women’s fixture saw NDF Phoenix suffer a 3-0 defeat to Nampol Volleyball Club, who maintained their perfect record with six wins from six matches.
Namibia Volleyball Federation president Tobias Mwatelulo described the Katima Mulilo round as one of the federation’s most successful events.
“Katima never disappointed. A lot of people came to support and Katima always records the highest attendance,” Mwatelulo says.
“We witnessed different highlights, from Afrocat’s performances to unbeaten teams eventually losing. Each and every match was unique on its own.”
Mwatelulo also confirmed that the Zambezi Volleyball Association has been invited to submit a proposal to host the upcoming NVF Cup.
He further addressed Six Stars Volleyball Club’s failure to honour their fixtures, saying financial and academic pressures continue to affect some clubs.
The next round of matches is scheduled for Rundu in mid-June.
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المصدر: The Namibian
