Leemisa Thuseho
LEPERENG Olympafrica Center (LOC) women’s volleyball club will compete at the universities’ international invitational tournament in Botswana.
Organised by the Botswana Volleyball Federation (BVF) and the Washington-based Howard University women’s volleyball team, the games will be held from 17 to 21 May 2024 in Gaborone, Botswana.
The games are part of the Howard University women’s volleyball team foreign tour to Botswana.
Apart from LOC, the American college’s volleyball team will lock horns with university teams from Botswana, Namibia, and Zambia.
Despite being a non-university team, LOC coach Khotso Mahloko said they had earned the invitation as Lesotho’s current best performers.
LOC are the Lesotho Volleyball Association (LVA) National League defending champions after winning the title last year.
Mahloko said their invitation was mainly based on their commendable performance during the African Volleyball Zone VI Clubs Championship tournament held from 7 to 17 December 2023 in Thaba Bosiu, Maseru.
Out of 22 teams from member countries like Mozambique, Botswana, Zambia, South Africa, eSwatini, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Lesotho, LOC Ladies finished in seventh position in the overall standings.
He said they felt honoured to be invited to the tournament. They were already knocking at doors of different companies and individuals begging for donations to make the trip a success.
“The organisers will only provide accommodation and food, so we need assistance for transport, and food for players to eat on their way to and from Botswana,” Mahloko said.
“Some promises have been made and we are hopeful that we will make it to Botswana.”
Mahloko said the tournament was “too good to miss”. His players need that kind of international exposure to grow and market their talents on the international stage.
