UNIZIK Emerge Champions Of 4th SONMFO Memorial Foundation Volleyball Mix Tournament 

By Ikenna Nwokedi

Nnamdi Azikiwe University Volleyball Club has emerged champions of the fourth edition of the Stephanie Ooja Nnebeife Memorial Foundation (SONMFO) Volleyball mix tournament.

The two-day competition held from Tuesday, 26th to Wednesday, 27th December 2023 at the Alex Ekwueme Square Aroma, Awka featured nine Volleyball clubs in the South East zone placed in three groups of round robin format comprising of UNIZIK Volleyball Club from Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka, Refiners VB club from Washington Memorial Grammar School Onitsha and Ultimate VB club of Onitsha placed in Group A while Baton Spikers of Owerri, Smith City VB club of Awka and Federal Polytechnic Oko VB club were placed in Group B with United VB club Enugwu-Ukwu, Eagles Spikers Onitsha and Spiritas VB club Onitsha placed in Group C.

In the final match played on Wednesday, UNIZIK VB club outwitted their opponents, Baton Spikers VB club by three sets to one (25-23, 22-25, 25-22, 25-21) to emerge champions claiming the top prize of N70,000 while Baton Spikers settled for N60,000.

Refiners VB club had earlier defeated United VB club by three sets to two (25-21, 20-25, 25-15, 14-25, 15-10) in the third and fourth place playoffs to claim the third prize of N50,000 while the remaining six clubs will each get N20,000 as consolation.

In her reaction, Geraldine Alex Okoye, Coordinator of SONMFO in the South East Zone averred that the vision behind the tournament is to create an avenue for promotion of the game of Volleyball and preach the message that VB is a game of peace that brings VB players, fans and sports followers together.

Okoye informed that the SONMFO Volleyball Mix Tournament is about the only team sports competition in the South East Geopolitical zone that runs on annual basis producing amazing talents that have represented their various states at National Sports programmes such as the National Youth Games (NYG) and National Sports Festival (NSF) while some of the players have represented the country at global stage.

The former National team player and trainor with Chief of Naval Staff thanked the various teams for participating in the two-day programme while promising that the fifth edition come 2024 will be bigger and better.

Also speaking, Anambra State Volleyball Coach, Stella Otti commended the SONMFO Foundation for the initiative which has helped in promoting the game of Volleyball in the state and beyond.

Coach Otti informed that through the tournament, Anambra State will have new breed of players injected into the already existing Team Anambra side that will represent the state in next year’s National Sports Festival.

Highpoints of the occasion was presentation of cash awards to the various clubs which emerged tops in the competition.

There were individual awards also with the Best Blocker award going to Ifeanyi Madubuobi (Baton Spikers), Best Attacker went to Emmanuel Ani (UNIZIK VB club), Best Outstanding Female of the Tournament was claimed by Mary Ebiyei (Baton Spikers) among others.

Notable presence during the competition’s final was the Chairman, UNIZIK Sports Committee, Dr. Dereck Orji and a former member of the Anambra State House of Assembly, Hon. Barr. Uzoma Eli.