Seychellois volleyball club ARSU wins tourney in Mauritius, qualifies for African club championship

File Photo: Seychelles team Arsu (on the left wearing blue and white) in action in the 2014 CAVB Zone 7 Club Championship playing against Reunion island's team St Denis. (Joena Bonnelame, Seychelles News Agency)  

(Seychelles News Agency) - Anse Royale (ARSU), a ladies volleyball club from Seychelles, won the African Volleyball Confederation Zone 7 competiton on Saturday, qualifying the team for the African club championship. 

ARSU proved once again they are the best female club in the Zone 7, overcoming Mauritian team Quatre Bornes VBC in 3 sets -- 25-18, 25-18 and 25-17.

Speaking to SNA by telephone, the team’s captain, Jerina Bonne, said they are proud and happy to have won the competition for the 11^th time. 

“I am even happier to have been part of all the 11 victories,” said Bonne, adding that: “For the team which is made up of young players, I think they all appreciate the level of the competition they are now involved in. We have worked as a small family and I have always been there to encourage them to reach where we are today.”

According to Bonne, the final match was easy enough for the team hailing from the south of Mahe, the main island of Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean.

“The match did not really push us to work hard for the victory. We defeated them 3-0 and throughout the match we were always leading the score.” With three consecutive victories in the Zone 7 club competition, ARSU now keeps the cup. A team only keeps the cup in its possession until the next competition but retain it if they win three times in a row.

Bonne’s daughter Marielle proved her value to the team throughout the competition and won the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award. Marielle, who joined the team in 2014 after playing for five years in France, also won two other individual awards – best attacker and best defender.

Two other members of ARSU also won individual prizes -- Melina Crispin -- best setter and Matty Molta -- best libero (a defensive specialist position and the only player not limited by regular rules of rotation.)

ARSU's victory means the team qualifies for the African Club Championship -- the most prestigious volleyball tournament for clubs from Africa.

The local season has not ended for ARSU who still have two more games to play upon their return home.

Seychelles' other ladies team in the competition, Cascade, took 4^th place.

On the men’s side Malagasy club Gendarmerie Nationale also retained their title winning 3-0 over Quatre Bornes VBC.