APR captain Valentine Munezero has praised head coach Justin Kigwari for rapidly adapting to the membership and main APR WVC to the 2025/26 Rwanda Nationwide Volleyball League girls’s title regardless of becoming a member of halfway via the season.
The Kenyan tactician secured his first trophy with the military facet after APR accomplished a dominant playoff marketing campaign, defeating Kepler WVC in straight victories throughout the best-of-five finals collection to reclaim the league crown.
ALSO READ: APR overcome Kepler to carry girls’s volleyball league title
Kigwari took cost of the group in January following the departure of former coach Peter Kamasa, at a time when APR confronted stress to protect their unbeaten run and preserve momentum heading into the decisive stage of the season.
Talking after APR sealed the championship, Munezero credited Kigwari for sustaining the group’s depth and serving to the squad keep centered all through the demanding second half of the marketing campaign.
“I can’t evaluate the 2 coaches as a result of each of them contributed in numerous methods. Our present coach launched new tactical concepts that strengthened the group, like bringing in Lizzy Gasekgonwe within the final sport alongside the opposite gamers who joined the squad,” Munezero instructed Instances Sport.
APR had already demonstrated their energy earlier than Kigwari’s arrival, ending the common season unbeaten and topping the standings within the opening section of the marketing campaign.
Nevertheless, the teaching transition raised questions on whether or not the membership might maintain its consistency throughout the playoffs. Kigwari, who was appointed after a short interim spell below assistant coach Yvette Cyuzuzo, rapidly embraced the problem.
Upon becoming a member of APR, Kigwari was additional boosted by the arrivals of Kenyan trio Mercyline Wabwira Nakhamica, center blocker Sylvia Asimit Lachilla, and setter Linar Ogwera Achieng.
ALSO RED: Musabyemariya switches from APR to Police WVC
Below Kigwari’s management, APR prolonged their dominance by sweeping Rwanda Income Authority WVC within the semifinals earlier than producing one other straight-series victory over Kepler within the finals.
The title marked a big milestone for Kigwari, who delivered silverware inside months of arriving on the membership.
Munezero additionally acknowledged the contribution of former coach Kamasa, crediting him for laying the inspiration for APR’s current success earlier than his departure in January.
APR’s resurgence started in 2023 when Kamasa joined the membership and guided them to the 2023/24 league title after defeating Police WVC within the finals. Throughout his tenure, the membership additionally made historical past by successful the 2024 CAVB Zone V Membership Championship, turning into the primary Rwandan girls’s volleyball group to assert the regional title.
