Nigeria’s women’s beach volleyball team on Friday defeated Egypt 2-0 to qualify for the quarter-finals of the ongoing 2026 African Beach Volleyball Championships in Alexandria, Egypt.

The Nigerian duo of Esther Mba and Pamela Bawa won both sets 21-17, 21-16 to secure their place in the last eight.

The Nigerian women started the first set strongly, putting pressure on the hosts and eventually winning 21-17.

Mba and Bawa maintained the momentum in the second set, defeating the Egyptians 21-16 to complete the straight-set victory.

Reacting to the victory, Chinedu Onikeku, a board member of the Nigeria Volleyball Federation (NVBF), praised the players for their performance.

“The girls have put a smile on the faces of Nigerians back home.

“Esther and Pamela gave a good account of themselves and proved that they are a force to reckon with in beach volleyball,” she said.

Ms Onikeku added that the victory was a strong response to the team’s defeat by Morocco in their third group-stage match.

“They bounced back from their loss against Morocco in their third group-stage match, and this victory is a huge statement from the team,” she said.

Nigeria will qualify directly for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games if the team wins gold in the women’s category.

(NAN)