Cameroon captain Christelle Tchoudjang Nana in action against Mexico
Yokohama, Japan, September 29, 2018 - Cameroon won for the first time ever at the FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship on Saturday, and captain Christelle Tchoudjang Nana and coach Akone Jean Rene Bekono were delighted to have made history with a 3-1 victory over Mexico.
Cameroon captain Christelle Tchoudjang Nana: We are very happy that we won the first match, it is a big joy to have been able to do so. We came here with an attitude of wanting to learn and today’s match marks an unforgettable moment for us. We were able to show our best.
Cameroon coach Akone Jean Rene Bekono: I am very happy that we were able to win today. This marks the first ever win in any major world competition for Cameroon, which makes the match even more joyful. The background to our development is that the Cameroon federation has adopted a policy for improving the team, and has made investment to that end.
Mexico coach Ricardo Naranjo: We feel that today’s match was very irregular. In the first set we surpassed the opponent in reception, but in the second set we had an injury to one of our regular players. Cameroon have much experience, including at the Olympics, and they surpassed us in the end when it came to blocking and service.
Mexico captain Andrea Rangel: Unfortunately this just wasn’t our game today and we couldn’t get the win. However, we will now work on changing our mindset ahead of tomorrow’s game against Argentina and head into that game strongly.