V’ball: Nigeria Must Learn from Morocco Defeat, Say Coach

Nigeria men’s volleyball head coach, Ryan Masajedi, has urged his players to learn from their hard-fought defeat to Morocco at the 2026 African Men’s Nations Volleyball Championship in Tunisia.

The Nigerians were edged 3-2 by Morocco in a thrilling quarter-final encounter after fighting back from 2-1 down to force a deciding fifth set.

Nigeria started strongly, winning the opening set 25-20, but Morocco responded by taking the second set 25-15 and the third 25-21.

Refusing to surrender, the Nigerian team produced a spirited performance in the fourth set, winning 26-24 to level the contest and force a decider.

Morocco, however, held their nerve in the fifth set to secure a 15-12 victory and book their place in the semi-finals.

Despite the defeat, Masajedi praised his players for their determination and the contribution of substitutes who helped the team recover during the encounter.

The coach said the match had exposed both the team’s strengths and weaknesses, adding that the players must use the experience to improve in future competitions.

“We already understand what our weaknesses and strengths are. We just need to take the lessons from this game and use them in the future,” Masajedi said.

He also urged the players to recover quickly and concentrate on their remaining fixtures in the championship.

Nigeria will now compete in the classification stage as it seeks to finish the tournament on a positive note.

The defeat ended the country’s hopes of reaching the semi-finals and securing a place in the medal contest.

Morocco will face hosts Tunisia in the semi-finals, while Cameroon will meet Algeria in the other last-four fixture.

Cameroon defeated Ghana 3-2, while Algeria also overcame Egypt 3-2 in their respective quarter-final matches.

Masajedi’s team will continue its campaign against Rwanda in the classification match as the Nigerian side looks to build on its competitive showing in Tunisia.