Nigeria battle past Algeria to reach Africa Volleyball Champs quarter-finals
by Moronfolu Adeyemi · The Eagle OnlineNigeria have secured a place in the quarter-finals of the 2026 African Men’s Volleyball Nations Championship in Tunisia after fighting back twice to defeat Algeria 3-2 in their final group game on Thursday.
The Zone 3 champions recovered from losing the first and third sets to win 23-25, 25-19, 21-25, 25-20, 15-12 in a thrilling five-set encounter.
Coach Ryan Masajedi praised the team’s response after they twice fell behind in the contest.
Masajedi said: “I am impressed with the way the players picked up after losing the first set. The set was in our hands but the Algerians were lucky it went in their favour.”
The Japanese coach added: “The players have once again shown that they can perform under any circumstances and they picked up after the first set and we ended winning the match.”
Nigeria started strongly but Algeria narrowly took the opening set 25-23.
The Nigerians responded in the second set, winning 25-19, but Algeria regained the advantage with a 25-21 victory in the third.
Nigeria refused to surrender, taking the fourth set 25-20 to force a deciding tie-break, before completing the comeback with a 15-12 victory.
Masajedi said the result was significant following Nigeria’s opening victory over Chad, insisting the win over Algeria had further demonstrated the team’s strength.
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He said: “We started the tournament playing Chad and the victory against Algeria has cemented us amongst the favourites at the Nations Championship.”
Nigeria had opened their campaign on Wednesday with a 3-0 victory over Chad, winning 25-17, 25-17 and 25-16.
The team are competing in Tunisia with the targets of securing the continent’s sole ticket to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games and qualifying for the 2027 FIVB World Championship.
With their quarter-final place secured, Masajedi urged the players to remain focused and immediately begin preparations for their next opponent.
He also thanked Nigerians back home for their prayers, support and encouragement throughout the championship, urging them to continue believing in the team as they pursue their targets.
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