BY Timothy Okurut.
The Uganda Christian University (UCU) Doves have defended their gold title at the Association of Uganda University Sports (AUUS) games. The victory came after the Doves dealt a huge blow on their final opponents, Kampala University (KU) by winning the first three sets consecutively.
The performance is an improvement from their last final in the 2023 edition, where they drew 2-2 with their rivals, Bugema University, forcing them to play a decisive set that they won. They also lost two sets within the competition, moving away with 3-1 victories, but the result at the final today has seen them rise beyond the bar. All this was achieved even as we saw the technical bench rotate the squad, allowing all players to gain experience from the contest.
According to Allan Andrew Alinda, one of the Doves, the players sometimes come into the competitions expecting an easy ride, which sometimes causes them to undermine their opponents. However, they addressed the semifinals and finals with more urgency, enabling them to win in both ends with 3-0 margins, denying their opponents from crossing the 15-point mark in all six sets.
“I think we didn’t expect to get high competition during the group stages, but we became more vigilant in the semis and the finals,” Alinda said.
He attributed the success of the team to God. He also said that the team had one month to train and gel together before the games following the closure of the regular season. “Those of us who play in the league returned and joined the team a month before, so we trained together for some time.” This victory now takes the Doves’ title defense streak to nine at the AUUS games.
